Appearance isn't Everything
by TheWindWakersDream
Summary: Yang has Body Dysmorphic Disorder and can't help but think of herself as the most disgusting and ugly thing alive. Jaune will have to act as her personal psychologist as he helps her get over her mental illness and let's her see how beautiful she really is. 'Original story by The Loneliest Of All'
1. Picking Up the Trail

Picking Up the Trail

'Yang's acting kind of weird…' Jaune thought as he eyed the blonde girl laughing happily with her team as she teased her little sister. 'I mean, she's acting normally, but I'm not sure if normal is the right word to describe it.' He took note of her change of clothes, a yellow sweater that covered the entire length of her arms and a pair of jeans. 'It definitely isn't cold this time of year.' As Yang smiled, she subconsciously picked at her arms from the sleeves of her sweater.

'There it is again!' Jaune practically screamed in his head as he continued to stare at his boisterous bud. 'Has Yang always been doing things like that? Picking your nails is fine and I guess doing it to your skin isn't that bad either. But the way she does it without thinking is off-putting me here…' Jaune thought back to Weiss as he remembered the way she would bite her nails, until they were as perfect as all the other ones, with all her attention drawn to them. Never subconsciously. His mind then wondered to the forlorn Faunus of the group.

The cat enjoyed licking her lips that was for sure. Whether her heightened senses let her smell something that mere humans couldn't, Jaune didn't know. So he chalked it up to her own little habit. Ruby had a small twitch, it was barely noticeable and she didn't seem to mind, but on the odd occasion, her eyelid would budge and her head would jerk slightly to the side. It was actually kind of adorable. Nora was mentally unstable, that was by-far the most obvious thing to note and Jaune decided it was best not to think further on the subject.

Ren was clearly an introvert. Rare moments would pass when he would actually glare at everyone around him, even when they were all enjoying themselves and he was laughing along with them, he'd just stop, roll his eyes and get even more pissed than Yang when you touched her hair. Whether he secretly hated everyone or he was bipolar, Jaune was afraid to ask.

At one point after Jaune and Pyrrha became friends again and she started training him, Pyrrha found Jaune trustworthy enough to divulge one of her darkest secrets. Crippling self-doubt. After so many years of praise from her fans, Pyrrha had actually grown so worried about losing a battle that it overcame her psyche and any time she lost at **anything **she would have a small panic attack. Jaune helped her overcome this problem of hers for the most part, but it still lingered and she was less okay with losing than most people.

Jaune himself has serious self-depreciation; Jaune would always say that he cares about his friends more than he cares about himself. Not because they're the most important thing in the world to him (they are, but not the point), but because he hates himself more than anything. Most people who seem him fight would say he's dirt, Jaune disagrees. He would say he's the amoeba that lives and **thrives **off the dirt.

Basically, Jaune likes to think himself a small bit knowledgeable on the subject of mental illness and habitual ticks. So when he would see Yang picking at her arms or darting her eyes to everyone in the room as if they were watching her, Jaune knew something was up. Sadly, the direct approach never worked in these types of things and some reconnaissance was in order. Jaune would need to ask around for all the information he could get his hands on and the easiest way to start would be the closest.

'I hope I can find Ruby alone soon, this seems really important to Yang…' Jaune continued to watch the girl as she stared out the window. After following her gaze through the glass pane, Jaune realized Yang wasn't looking at something outside; she was looking at the reflection. 'She's looking at herself.' Jaune easily saw the pain in her eyes when she looked away and decided that he'd figure out what was up no matter what.

Classes were over by the time Jaune found the opportunity to strike and he held Ruby up at the door of Port's Grimm class before she could leave with her team. "You guys go on ahead, we'll catch up." He said to them and they all shrugged in reply as they continued on without them. Jaune turned to Ruby and told her to follow him. His voice held no room for disagreement and the two leaders made their way into an empty classroom to talk in private.

"What is this about Jaune?" Ruby asked as she leaned against one of the desks that littered the room. Jaune sighed to himself, having had all day to think up a way to approach the subject, Jaune didn't find one. 'Direct approach it is then…'

"Ruby, is there something wrong with Yang?" Ruby tilted her head to the side in honest confusion. "What do you mean?" She asked. 'Not direct enough.' Jaune sighed. "I mean she's constantly looking everywhere and always picking at her arm, not to mention how she'd stare at herself. Don't even get me started on how depressed she obviously is-"

"Stop it." Jaune stopped. Looking up, Jaune saw Ruby with her head lowered and her hands clenched. "You have no idea what you're talking about, Jaune…" Jaune's eyes narrowed and he walked closer to the trembling girl. "So this has been happening for a while, does the rest of the team know?" Jaune saw the look on her face and his eyes widened. "**You** don't even know, do you?"

Ruby let out a sob as she clutched her arms to her chest and cried. "She never says anything! Every time I ask, she just avoids the subject; I don't know what to do!" Jaune had been expecting this and as he wrapped the girl into his arms, his mind raced with thoughts on how he could fix a problem he didn't even know the name of. "Ruby, look at me." She didn't budge. "Ruby, if you want this problem to be taken care of, I need you to look at me first.

This time, the small girl complied and as she looked up at the blonde friend of hers, her head twitched to the side. This, of course, caused her to think things over and break down again, her head stuffed against Jaune's chest. Jaune could only sigh as he pressed the girls head closer to him began to whisper sweet nothings into her ear. After some time, the crying stopped and Jaune was simply rocking the girl back and forth. He then decided to try his luck once more.

"Ruby, look at me." She complied immediately and looked at Jaune with red eyes. Jaune sighed once again. "I want you to tell me everything you know about Yang Xiao Long. Everything. Even the things that may seem unimportant can mean more than the most traumatizing experience here." Ruby nodded slowly and for the next three hours, Ruby rounded off every single detail about the girl named Yang Xiao Long.

As expected, it wasn't enough. After Jaune said goodbye to Ruby and he returned to his dorm, Jaune collapsed onto his bed, his mind raging with thoughts on yang and what could be wrong with her. When it came to the details on what Ruby told him, she was lacking the when, the why, the how and most importantly, the what. She was basically as clueless as Jaune when it came to this problem, the only difference being experience and more instances where Yang's mood changed.

After all that Ruby told him, Jaune now knew that Yang and Ruby were half-sisters, their father being the common parent. Both of their mothers disappeared at some point. Ruby's on a mission and Yang's after her birth. Possibly causing abandonment issues at an early age. Ruby also informed Jaune that while they were growing up, Yang would frequently leave home to visit friends, but would never bring any home.

Either her friends didn't like her, or she didn't really have any. Ruby also told him that when Yang was going to Signal for two years without Ruby, she wouldn't be out for long after school ended, opting to come home straight away. 'Definitely no friends.' She then informed him that when Ruby herself started attending Signal, everything changed. Yang always acted like the happy-go-lucky girl when Ruby was around and she always knew it was a front.

But what yang was doing at Signal was just a massive lie. Everyone Yang spoke to hung off her every word and she basically had the whole school in the palm of her hand, although she never acted any differently. This was a cause for concern. How could someone manage to go from never talking to anyone and having no friends to being the idol of an entire school? The answer, whatever it may be, would bring Jaune closer to the question he needed.

Ruby told Jaune that for the entire time they were at Signal, Yang flirted with every guy she came across; made friends with every girl she came across and managed to keep anyone who wanted to hurt Ruby far away. 'Over-protective tendencies' Jaune thought as he continued his brain storm. Jaune was also told that Yang turned down every single guy that asked her out and that, as far as Ruby knows, Yang's never had a boyfriend.

'That's important, very important.' Jaune thought to himself as he went over what that would most likely entail. 'Self-doubt, mainly. She could think lowly of herself for some reason…' He then made it to the other end of the spectrum. 'Or, she could think that no guy is good enough for her.' Both were equally plausible and deniable, she may have just said no to the guys so she could take care of Ruby.

Another important factor is that Yang's violent tendencies began around this time. Stringing those two moments together could mean that Yang was angered by men asking her out, **or **the reaction the men had to being rejected. They'd be pissed, which would cast a negative outlook on how Yang thought of men in general. 'Great, ruin it for all of us, why don't you…'

Ruby noted that at this same time as well, Yang started acting differently. Her wardrobe changed to less revealing outfits, she spoke to less people, and she went out of the house less often. Ruby blamed herself, having come to the conclusion that her going to Signal caused some emotional distress in her sister. Jaune knew that would never be the case.

This was the turning point, one of these thing caused yang to snap. Perhaps it was all of them at once, Jaune didn't know. But he would. 'Let's see… Ruby begins studying at Signal; Yang changes her personality and turns flirty. Guys make advances, she turns them down and turns angry, she then begins to analyse everything, picks at her skin and hides her features. Why?'

The fact that he couldn't figure this out simply infuriated him. Jaune's friend was deteriorating into madness and there was nothing he could do about it. 'Alright, Ruby goes to Signal, Yang wants to keep her sister from worrying about her because she doesn't have friends. So she uses her talents that she gained from watching other people for two years at school and makes friends with everyone. Ruby stays oblivious and, although Yang doesn't want to hang out with these people. She needs to keep up appearances.' He stopped to think for a moment then nodded.

'After some time, guys finally work up the courage to ask her out and she refuses to give her more time to care for Ruby since she's basically acting as mommykins. Guys get pissed and begin to hate her, then Yang gets pissed at them for only liking her for her appearance and she…' Then it dawned on him, he wasn't sure if he was right, but it seemed like the most accurate description.

Picking at insecurities, watching everyone as if they're watching her, hiding her body, violent tendencies, it all pointed to the same thing. 'Yang hates her body and how she looks. She must know that she's beautiful and that's why guys liked her and that's why she's the way she is.' Jaune thought that idea over long and hard and realized if he isn't right, he's at least **close **to right.

'What was that called again? Body… Dyslexia? No, no it was Body Dysmorphia. That's right. Hating your body for how you look, or how you **think **you look.' Jaune almost laughed. 'No way in hell Yang thinks she's ugly. This is **Yang! **She's the hottest girl I know, even more so than Pyrrha, and that's saying something!' He cut his thoughts short. 'Damn it, Jaune. This is why she's upset in the first place, **because **she's so hot.'

Jaune made sure he'd remember everything detail he learnt this night before he went to bed. Phase two of this little plan is managing to get Yang to talk about it. Not an easy task in any way…

* * *

><p>Yang woke up that morning the same way she did every morning, far too early, cold and in tears. She then proceeded with her morning ritual. Wipe her tears on her blanket, hop off the bunk and go take a shower. As she entered the bathroom, towel in hand, Yang took off her pyjamas and looked in the mirror. She had to fight back the urge to cry again. When she saw herself, all Yang could see were the imperfections. The pimples on her chest, the scars on her arms from fighting, every <strong>single <strong>freckle, her stretch marks and her God forsaken nose.

Every imperceptible detail was painstaking to her, people always say that she's beautiful, but they've never seen her whole body. They've never seen that her left breast is **just **bigger than her right, that her right canine is crooked, that she has scars all over her, sometimes from herself. 'They can never know how ugly I really am…' Her eyes scanned over her uneven breasts once more and she sighed.

'These are the only reason people even talk to me these days.' Her eyes continued to look over every part of her body as she ingrained the sight into her memory. As her eyes landed on themselves, Yang let a flicker of a smile escape. Her lilac eyes were the only naturally beautiful part about her that Yang could ever find. Most would say that Yang's hair was her favourite aspect, it is, but it's not her favourite natural one. Another thing most don't know is that Yang dyes her hair very frequently.

'People like blondes…' She thought as she looked at her hair and all happiness she gained from her eyes vanished. Yang sighed once more as she turned away from the mirror and entered the shower, her morning ritual now complete. Yang cleaned every inch of her body, as if simply washing her skin would drive the imperfections away. As usual, it didn't.

Yang stepped out of the shower and dressed in her uniform. Once she was done putting on her makeup, Yang looked at herself in the mirror once more. She then smiled as brightly as she could, it died immediately. She tried again, less bright this time and with more focus on the eyes. Again, obviously fake. After focusing for a few seconds and taking a deep breath, Yang put on her trademarked grin and looked in the mirror.

Not even she could tell it was fake.

Yang left the bathroom to find the rest of her team still asleep in bed; she decided not to disturb them and left the room to go for a walk. The moment the door closed behind her, another one opened and Jaune stepped out of his room. He looked up to see Yang standing in the hall way in front of him. "Couldn't sleep?" he asked as he saw the bags under her eyes that were barely hidden by her makeup.

Yang smiled with her usual grin and wrapped an arm around Jaune's shoulder. "Yep, dreaming of too many dirty things. You?" Jaune sighed as he plucked Yang's arm off his shoulder and looked at her with sad eyes. He remained in this position for longer than Yang was expecting before he closed his eyes and looked away and sighed. "Yeah, same with me. Too much dirt in this head of mine to get a good night's sleep."

Yang was fairly confused by his behaviour, but decided not to press him on it. 'We all have secrets to keep…' She draped her arm around his shoulder once more as she pressed her chest against him. The uniform wouldn't allow any cleavage to be seen but that doesn't mean you can't **feel **them. Yang was even more confused when, instead of Jaune blundering all his words and tripping over himself, he shuddered.

It wasn't the usual shudder of nervousness and pleasure either. It was as if he was disgusted. He removed her hand from his shoulder again and gestured to the stairs at the end of the hallway. "Want to go for a walk?" Yang nodded, making sure her smile never faulted and the two of them set off for the school grounds. As they neared the doors, Jaune pushed them both open and let the cold morning air into the building.

"Ahh, **beautiful **day, isn't it?" Yang could have sworn Jaune put emphasis on the word beautiful, but chalked it up to her tired mind playing tricks on her. She then decided to play with him a bit and hugged his arm with both of hers as they walked. "Yeah, it's perfect for a date." She could feel Jaune tense under his uniform when she did that and he slowly pulled his arm out of her grasp.

"Yep, too bad for us we're both single." He said with a slight chuckle. Yang knew that chuckle anywhere though, it wasn't his usual awkward one, this was a chuckle that someone would make after years of lying. Yang would know, she practically chuckles like that every day. Yang also knew that Jaune didn't have a girlfriend, so that wasn't what he was lying about. Perhaps it was his entire demeanour, the happiness and the camaraderie could be the entire lie itself.

Investigation was now necessary. "So, get up to anything interesting with my sister yesterday?" Jaune tensed immediately, she didn't even need to be in contact with him to notice it, she could **see **it. "No, not really. I just asked her a few questions." Another thing Yang knew about Jaune was that he couldn't lie. Not that he was incapable of doing it; it's just that his honour wouldn't allow him to.

There were only two things he would lie for. A promise, or something so big and important that telling the truth would cause catastrophe, such as his faulty transcripts. So Jaune would either tell her the truth, or she'd know that he asked her something important and he'd have to lie about it. Only one way to find out. "Such as?" Jaune nervously gulped, reminding her that this was still Jaune she was talking to, the nervous wreck that he is.

"Just stuff to do with her team, people and qualities necessary for being a good leader." Yang remembered that every good lie has a sprinkle of truth to them. Jaune wasn't lying, he was avoiding the question with more subjects, some of which **had **to be lies. Yang was about to question him further, when suddenly a wolf whistle was heard in the distance. After looking around, Yang saw a team of senior students staring at her and her eyes flickered red for an instant.

She then turned abruptly and started walking in the opposite direction. When a hand touched her shoulder, she spun around and prepared a number of profanities to scream at the person, but stopped short when she saw it was Jaune that had his hand on her. She was about to tell him off anyway, but couldn't when he suddenly pulled her close to him and hugged her. His hand passed over a strand of her hair and her quickly pulled it back, muttering a swift apology.

When he realized he wasn't a bloody pulp, Jaune tentatively reached his hand out again and pressed it against her hair. He was shocked when she began to literally purr. He began to shake with unconfined joy and glee at how adorable she was acting, but managed to rein it in when he realized she was on the verge of tears. He knew it would take more than a wolf whistle for her to completely break down and give him an opportunity to find out what was really wrong and help her.

'Her appearance is definitely what's causing this to happen.' Yang mumbled something into his chest and Jaune pulled her back a bit to get a look at her face. "What was that?" He asked as he looked at her blushing face. "I said if you tell anyone about this, I'll castrate you!" Jaune just laughed as he brought her back to his chest and began to stroke her hair. He wasn't surprised to find it so well maintained.

"I got it. Just know this, if you ever need a shoulder to cry on or…" His hand went from her scalp all the way through her golden locks. "A hand to stroke you. I'm always there to help." Yang mumbled something into his chest again but Jaune could tell it was a thank you. Or a shut up, both were equally possible.

After they broke apart, the blonde duo decided to go to the cafeteria and get some breakfast while they wait for their teams. That day, they both saw a part of each other that they could never lie about, and in some small way, they were immensely happy about it.


	2. Change Over Time

Change Over Time

One week had passed and Jaune was now certain that Yang has Body Dysmorphia. Sadly, the specifics were still unknown to him. He knew that she had a problem with her appearance, but she exhibited both traits of thinking she's ugly, **and **thinking she's beautiful. What's worse is the fact that it appears she has an eating disorder. A brawler like Yang, you'd expect to eat lots of meat to keep her muscles strong, but all Jaune ever saw on Yang's plate was a small salad.

It would never be finished and the girl looked very sickly. Jaune knew that she wouldn't be going so far as to vomit back any food that she eats, but she still wasn't eating enough anyway. Still, for such a gaunt looking fighter, Yang could throw quite a punch. Evidence of this was shown when he accidentally cut a strand of her hair during a sparring match. Jaune learned that Yang enjoys people touching her hair, **not **messing it up.

A fact he would not soon forget, seeing as that training arena was closed for renovations afterwards. All in all, Jaune was getting closer and closer to getting Yang to crack over time; sadly, it seems as if Yang has the same goals in mind. Throughout the entire time they spent together, Jaune would psychoanalyse Yang at every opportunity. But she was doing the same, Jaune was certain. She would praise Jaune for every minor thing he did that seemed well done, as if she knew he didn't believe a word of it and was testing his reaction.

She was getting more out of him than he was getting out of her. Needless to say, Jaune was fairly upset at this revelation. Yang's entire demeanour consisted of blunt obviousness, while Jaune's was far more reserved. He couldn't just ask her about her problem, but she was getting closer to having enough evidence to ask him about his. Something he'd prefer not to talk about. So as Jaune sat at lunch with the rest of his team, his mind was elsewhere and his food remained untouched.

Pyrrha, regrettably, found this to be a cause for concern. "Jaune, are you alright? You seem to be upset about something." Jaune's head jerked slightly, and he looked around the table to find who had spoken to him. When his eyes landed on Pyrrha, he smiled softly and turned his full attention to her. "Sorry, what was that Pyrrha? I couldn't hear you." She sighed as she turned to face him and frowned. "Jaune, what's got you so worked up lately that it's taken all of your attention?"

As expected, the whole table turned to see what was going on. 'I'm not worth this much focus, just eat your meals.' Jaune coughed and scratched the back of his head, knowing that Yang now had another notch above him that he didn't have against her. Other people noticing the problem. "I just can't get my mind off of the…" His mind went over every possible lie that would work and the list he came up with was barren, par one choice. He sighed internally.

"Dance, I just can't seem to find a date. I've been questioning whether or not I should go at all by this point." He laughed to himself. 'Yeah, like I'll be going anyway.' His eyes shifted to look at Yang as she stared at Pyrrha telling Jaune once again, that they can just go as friends. 'I'm afraid I've got better things to worry about.' He then cast his eyes back to Pyrrha as she finished repeating herself for the hundredth time.

"Pyrrha, I don't want you ruining your own good time for my sake, if you can't find anyone else to go with, **then **we'll just go as friends. You've still got all the chances in the world." It was a lie and she knew it, the others didn't though, and that's what's important. After revealing her secret, Pyrrha informed Jaune of her status with her fans and the fact that she's incapable of making meaningful relationships.

They both knew no one would work up the courage to ask her, but one can only hope. Jaune found this as a good opportunity to test Yang once again; hopefully Pyrrha's blunder would work in his favour. "What about the rest of you? I'm sure you've got guys grovelling to go with you, Yang." Jaune felt a sick happiness when he saw pain flicker in Yang's eyes, he didn't like torturing his friends like this, but sacrifices had to be made for the good of a person's health. Even if they don't realize it.

"Yep, but a few nervous confessions aren't going to work on me. It'll take more than that to get me going. No body's been good enough yet." An obvious lie, but as usual, no one else noticed. 'Do I see things they don't or something?' At this point, she didn't think they weren't good enough for her, she figured she wasn't good enough for them. It sort of goes back and forth like that, but most of the time, she thinks she isn't good enough. Having it change so constantly makes it hard to determine which to confront her with.

One wrong accusation can cause a confrontation to crash and burn immediately. "What, a guy hasn't serenaded you at your door with beautiful music and masterfully written sonatas?" Yang laughed at his joke as she shook her head. "Afraid not, it's all been: 'W-will you go with me…?' This, or: 'Can I have the honour-' that." She shook her head once more as she closed her eyes and smiled. "I wish a guy would serenade me…"

Then it hit him like a sack of potatoes. 'The dance! I can learn so much if I catch her in a romantic situation. Who knows the things I could learn…' Jaune smiled evilly as he remembered his father's guitar that was thrown at him as he left for Beacon, just for an occasion like this. The chords were already being written down in his head, the lyrics would be a problem though. As the rest of the group conversed about the dance, Jaune was already making plans for it, and they would have to work.

That night, Jaune asked Pyrrha if they could cancel training and after she gave her concerns and motherly pecking; she accepted his proposal and Jaune made for the farthest corner of the schools grounds, guitar in hand. "Music elicits all sorts of different emotions in people; the correct use of words in a certain order does the same. Combine the two, and you have the ability to turn the tides of war." Jaune found a secluded garden on the north eastern side of campus and sat down on the grass.

After he played a G chord, the boy proceeded to tune the instrument. He then played a D chord and an F note. Happy with how it sounded, Jaune nodded and let his mind go to work. 'Yang Xiao Long… I have a huge schlong- Focus!' He sighed. 'This could take a while…' After thirty minutes of thinking up poetry and using it in rhythm with the music, Jaune realized he wasn't quite the poet he once thought he was. 'I suck at this, I keep trying to rhyme Long with long, you can't do that!'

Many more attempts came through his head until he found a word that may fit. 'Wrong…' He smiled as his eyes opened wide. 'That's it!'

* * *

><p>After Blake decided to leave for the library so she could 'study,' that is, make out with Sun, Weiss chose to go find Neptune and ask him to the dance while Ruby decided to call it an early night and go to bed. This left Yang alone in the dorm with a snoring Ruby and nothing to keep her occupied but her thoughts, which, inevitably, drifted to the other blonde in the group. 'Jaune's up to something, but I can't tell what. He's acting like he wants to ask me out one moment, then he just stops and stares at me the next.'<p>

She shook her head and sat on Blake's bed. 'He's an enigma alright…' Her thoughts were interrupted when the door was knocked on. Figuring it was Neptune looking for Weiss or something, Yang swung it open. Her jaw dropped at what she saw, and then it fell off when she heard it. Standing in front of her, was Jaune Arc holding a guitar and strumming it like he'd been playing for years. "Yaaaaaaaang!" He sung as he abruptly stopped and winked at her.

Yang managed to pick her jaw back up and smiled as she waited for the boy to continue. "Yang Xiao Long~ I simply can't be wrong~" She held in her laughter as he continued. "You are so bright~ And this dance is right~ So come with meeee tooooooo… it." He never quite got the ending down, but his plan clearly had its desired effect when Yang burst out laughing and had to hold her sides to stay upright. "That… was the stupidest thing ever… of all time!" She said through her laughter as Jaune smiled at her.

"So?" He asked as he shouldered the guitar and the strap kept it in place at his back. "Were you properly serenaded?" Yang's laughter eventually died down and she looked at Jaune with tears in her eyes. "You could say that, but your lyrics could use some work Lady Killer." Jaune smiled as he held out his hand. "You still haven't answered…" Yang smiled back as she placed her hand in his. "You still haven't asked." Jaune just laughed as he pulled her towards him and hugged her in the middle of the door frame.

"I didn't need to. The answer is pretty obvious…" He said as one hand pressed against the small of her back to bring her closer and the other laced through her hair. Yang smiled as she buried her head deeper into his chest. "I'd love to go to the dance with you." She said with a muffled voice as Jaune grinned. "I'm glad." He brought his lips closer to her head and gave Yang a small kiss through her hair. 'Even if I don't figure anything out, I guess I can still just enjoy myself.'

As they parted, Jaune smiled down at his date. "I'll see you tomorrow." He said as he started walking backwards. "Yeah, see you tomorrow." Yang replied as she closed the door. The flood gates immediately opened. 'Oh God, I need to find a dress that covers my freckles **and **my scars! I'll need to dye my hair again, and then I'll need to work on my dance moves. I'll need to have the perfect makeup ready.' Yang continued to fret over everything that anyone would see about her and she started to shake as she stared at her hands.

'Maybe I just shouldn't go… Yeah, I'll just cancel the plans and stay in here, where no one can see me…' She then remembered all the work Jaune put into asking her, from finding a guitar to thinking up lyrics for a song, all the way to embarrassing himself just for her. Yang knew she couldn't cancel the plans at this point, not after all that. So now would be the point where she goes out and finds that perfect dress that hides all her problems and…

'No, no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no. I can't do this, I can't let everyone see me like that, there's no such thing as a dress that hides everything at a dance like this, it's not a ball room. I can't go, I just can't go I-' Yang stopped herself short. 'Can't go in a **dress, **but who's to say I have to wear one?' Yang smiled as she thought of the attire that most men would be wearing. 'Jaune would get a laugh out of it, I don't have to show any skin, and everyone has a good time. Everybody wins.'

Yang smiled at her own genius as she brought her Scroll out and began to search online for her dance outfit. "I'll just go in a suit…"

* * *

><p>Jaune had a cheesy grin on his face as he entered his dorm room and slid the guitar under his bed. Both Ren and Nora were asleep and as Jaune looked at Pyrrha's bed, he was surprised to find it empty. He then looked at the desk in the corner of the room to find Pyrrha sitting in it. "H-hey Pyrrha, it's kind of late. Shouldn't you be in bed?" Pyrrha turned to face him as she put her pen down and closed her workbook.<p>

"Yeah, bed does sound good at the moment. I was just finishing up Port's assignment." Jaune paled. 'Oh yeah, that thing I haven't started yet.' He coughed as he watched the girl put the book away and climb into bed. "Yang say yes?" She asked, causing Jaune to stop in his tracks as he stared at the girl in shock. "How did you…?" Pyrrha smiled. "You really thought I couldn't tell? You're not the only one who's noticed her odd behaviour, y'know."

Jaune nervously gulped as he hopped into bed, also. "R-right. Well, she said yes. Singing a song for a girl almost always works after all." Pyrrha laughed as Jaune turned off the lights. "Speaking from experience?" Jaune shuddered. "I don't want to talk about it, it's not important." A thought popped into his head that caused Jaune to feel bad for his partner. "Do you think someone will ask you?" He asked as he realized his friend's new-found predicament.

Pyrrha laughed, it was a sad laugh that Jaune had heard many times before, **done **many times before, but he'd never heard it come from Pyrrha. "I doubt it. But that's not important anyway." Jaune felt mad at this. "Pyrrha, don't ever say that. Your happiness is just as important as everyone else's." Pyrrha laughed again, but it was genuine this time. "I suppose that's true, but are **you **really telling me that, Mr. Amoeba?" Jaune's brows furrowed as he crossed his arms.

"Don't try and change the subject!" As Jaune readied another verbal assault, a thought crossed his mind. It was insane, and stupid, and it probably wouldn't work. But whether it would or wouldn't, everyone wins. "Hey Pyrrha, let's make a bet. If you get asked by a guy to the dance, I'll pull a few strings and get you a match in the ring against Yang." Pyrrha almost salivated at the thought of fighting someone so powerful, Yang had always declined her offers for a spar, but if Jaune could pull this off, her dream would come true.

"But if you **don't **get a date, I'll wear a dress to the dance." The thought of Jaune embarrassing himself for all to see also gave Pyrrha a warm mirth in her chest. She decided not to question why. Pyrrha couldn't quite tell why he'd make a bet like that, but both cases let her win. "Deal." She said with unrestrained glee as she thought about both scenarios. Jaune smiled as he closed his eyes and attempted to fall asleep. "Good."

'This way, Pyrrha will try harder to get a guy and hopefully get over her disconnection with her fans. If she doesn't, she'll still be able to laugh as I embarrass myself beyond belief. Plus, Yang will have an even better time, I'm sure." Jaune smiled as his mind finally left him and he drifted to the lands of dreams.

The next morning, on Saturday, Jaune woke up early and decided to go into Vale to find the two outfits he'd need for the dance. His wallet would take a heavy blow this day, but one can never be too cautious. After he showered and got dressed, Jaune headed into the six a.m. airship and waited for it to take off. As it did, he began dry heaving into the nearest trash can as he attempted to throw up his non-existent breakfast. As the flying obelisk of death steadied itself in the air, Jaune's motion sickness died down and he managed to relax in his seat.

'Alright, the suit isn't going to be very important, I'll just grab the first one I see, no biggie. The **dress **on the other hand isn't going to be as simple to come by.' Jaune sat with his legs crossed as he remembered his chest size, waist and shoulders. 'Pyrrha's training has certainly made me more swole than before, so finding a dress my size is definitely going to be a problem.' Jaune thought of all the different varieties of dresses that he could wear as well and he sighed. 'Why didn't I believe what mom said when she told me to take a dress?' He shook his head.

'No! There's no way I could've known I'd need something like that, I nearly didn't take the guitar and **that **was obviously helpful.' Jaune's brow furrowed as he sank further into his seat. 'It doesn't matter how long it takes, I will find a dress for the dance!' The only sound that was audible for the next few seconds was the hum of airship as it glided along the skies. 'I am the biggest girl ever, aren't I?'

* * *

><p>Yang woke up that morning with newfound resolve in her heart. After searching the internet for half an hour, she found a store in Vale that had the perfect suit for her to wear. It had all the right colours, the right fabrics, it could be found in her size. It was perfect. So she ran into the bathroom, threw off her clothes and hopped into the shower. After giving herself a quick wash, she hopped out and got dressed in her usual outfit. Then she ran to the seven a.m. ride to Vale and boarded the ship.<p>

Half an hour later she was in the city streets, searching for the store and having a grand ol' time. She eventually came across the building and went inside, no one batted an eye in her direction and she made her way to the men's section of the store. Going through a few clothes racks, Yang eventually came across what she saw on the internet and she smiled. She pulled it off the rack and admired it in her hands. The outfit consisted of a simple orange, long sleeve shirt, black slacks and a brown vest.

Obviously nothing special, but it shined above the rest when Yang first saw it. She took it with her to one of the changing rooms and put it on. A perfect fit. Yang grinned as she looked in the mirror and saw that every flaw on her body was hidden. The pimples on her chest, the freckles on her shoulder, the scars on her arms and the stretch marks were all perfectly concealed. After changing back into her usual outfit, Yang payed the cashier and left with her new outfit in a nice, protective bag.

'This will work perfectly.'

Yang failed to notice the mop of blonde hair that stood in the female section of that very store. "Ugh, nothing fits me here…" Jaune mumbled to himself as he put another dress back onto the rack. 'I don't even know what colour to go with either, should I choose yellow to go with my hair? Blue for my eyes? Black for my hoodie? White for my armour and aura? Ugh, how do girls do this so often?' After the ship landed and Jaune dry heaved into the trash can outside, he thought of all the different dresses he could wear.

Strapless was definitely out, he'd look ridiculous. A dress that wrapped around the neck wouldn't quite work either. The only thing Jaune figured he could go with would be one that simply went over the shoulders. He did find one that would work, but it was red and Jaune did **not **look good in red. About an hour of searching later and Jaune was beginning to lose hope of finding one in that store, until he saw the red dress again. He gave a resigned sigh as he picked it off the rack, but his eyes widened when he saw something behind it.

Just under the red one, lie the exact same dress in white. Jaune tentatively picked it up and stared at it. 'Yang would look great in this…' Knowing that, Jaune realized if she saw him in it, Yang'd probably get jealous, or laugh, either could happen. He grinned as he went into the change room, anyone he passed by gave him a quizzical look but he shrugged them off. 'They don't know me!' Jaune took off his current clothing and put the dress on. 'A tight fit, but that's to be expected. Besides, this way everyone can see my **bulging muscles!' **Jaune decided to flex as he looked at himself in the mirror.

He laughed at his own stupidity as he took the dress off and put his usual digs back on, he then payed the cashier for the dress and left the store. 'There's no point in buying a suit, Pyrrha's not getting a date. Hell, she'd probably go out of her way **not **to get one just to embarrass me.' He smiled at the thought as he reached the airdock and boarded the first ship, heading to the back of the machine while missing the curvaceous blonde that waled to the front.

As Yang took her seat, she sighed knowing that the dance would go off without a hitch by this point. Jaune would be happy, she'd be happy, Pyrrha probably wouldn't be happy but Yang knew Jaune would've done something about that by now. The best part about it all was that Yang could enjoy herself and no one would have to see her imperfections. 'Nobody will have to be disgusted by me now…' Yang grinned as the ship began to take off, but her smile faltered when she heard what sounded like someone throwing up. She was then reminded of Jaune and her smile came back tenfold as she recalled the events of last night.

'Oh Vomit Boy, what are you going to do next?' Yang closed her eyes and relaxed as she leaned further into the seat and sighed, content with knowing that the dance would go fine.

Jaune on the other hand, having just finished removing his breakfast that he got before grabbing the dress, was feeling less enthusiastic by the dance every passing minute. 'What if someone wolf whistles again, or comments on how much skin she's showing, or God forbid, tries to make a pass at her… Will things go smoothly, and if they don't can I fix the aftermath?' Jaune's worrying eventually subsided when he realized he was doing nothing by overthinking it.

'You can't tell the future Jaune, you can only try your best to fix what it may bring…' Jaune nodded his head with resolve as he relaxed in his seat, content with knowing that the dance **could** fail miserably, but certain he'd fix things if it did.


	3. Dance Dance Absolution

Dance Dance Absolution

'I wonder what she's going to wear…' Jaune thought as he eyed Yang from the corner of his vision. 'The dance is in a few hours and I've got the dress ready, I just wonder if she'll find it funny or not.' He then thought back to Pyrrha's reaction when he first showed it to her and he smiled. 'Yeah, she'll find it funny. But what **I'm **wearing isn't the problem here.' Jaune remembered the way her eyes filled with pain after that one guy wolf whistled at her.

'There's no way she'll be wearing something revealing, but I can't think of a dress that hides too much skin…' He recalled the ball gowns that were in the formal store he was in the other day, but such outfits weren't to be worn at a dance like this. He then remembered the dress he was going to go in and laughed at his own hypocrisy. 'I'm sure she'll have thought of something, no doubt she's going to hide her features.' After having spent so much time with her, Jaune eventually learned that Yang's flirtatious acts and sexual attitude were merely facades.

It came as a shock to him, but Jaune learned to accept it. Now adding on to all that he needed to learn about her, Jaune needed to figure out her **real **personality too. 'Sometimes I wonder why I make these challenges for myself…' Shaking his head, Jaune looked at the girl once more as she sat picking at her salad. He could feel his partners gaze on him, showing unnecessary worry, but he was glad that she understood his reasons for acting this way and didn't draw any unwanted attention to him.

Feeling someone's eyes on her, Yang looked up to see Jaune staring at her. She didn't know why, but she felt the odd urge to smile at him, so she did. Jaune's eyes widened and he sat rigid for a moment before he smiled back at her. This little exchange did not go unnoticed by Ruby as she looked between the two. 'He really is trying to figure out what's going on, isn't he…?' Ruby took another moment to look at Yang and she noticed that she wasn't giving her usual fake smile.

It was genuine. 'Wow, looks like whatever he's doing is working. Keep it up, Jaune!' Ruby smiled as she returned to her batch of cookies to continue to eat them mercilessly. "So, everyone excited for the dance tonight?" Pyrrha asked as she grew tired of the quiet atmosphere. Yang grinned. "You bet I am! Me and Weiss pulled out all the stops on this one, and you'll never guess who we got to play the music." Yang remembered the way Weiss' eyes sparkled at the thought of preparing the dance after Goodwitch told everyone she needed volunteers.

"Oh?" Jaune asked as he looked between the white and yellow themed girls. "Who'd you get?" Yang's grin widened as she punched her hand into the air. "Dust Punk!" She screamed as the whole of team JNPR's eyes widened in shock. "What?!" Ren screamed as he stood from his chair. "How'd you manage to get DJ's like them?" Not many knew it, but Ren enjoyed dancing to their songs quite a bit. He admitted to his skills early in the semester, but Jaune's own talents were yet to be known. A fact he was hoping to exploit tonight.

"I have my ways…" Yang said mysteriously as she crossed her arms. Weiss huffed. "Excuse me? Don't you recall who was the one that set them up in the first place?" She asked as Yang grew nervous. "Uhh, I mean… **we **have our ways." Yang said as she wrapped an arm over Weiss' shoulder. "In any case," Ren spoke softly, having gotten over his initial surprise. "I commend you for choosing a group like them for a dance like this." He smiled softly. "You won't be disappointed." Jaune laughed inwardly. 'You have no idea.'

As the group continued to banter and bicker over the details of the dance, Jaune eyed the clock in anticipation for the night to come. 'Tonight's going to be big…'

* * *

><p>Hours later, the dance was upon the group of Hunters and everyone was getting dressed. Pyrrha had disappeared before everybody even got to the dorms to prepare and soon afterwards, Ren and Nora departed as well. Jaune had just removed his pants when he heard the sound of Ruby tripping over herself as she exited the room with Weiss and Blake as they left to find their dates. That meant that Yang was still in the room getting ready and no one would see him in a dress until he arrived at the dance.<p>

He laughed as he thought of how they'd react. After slipping the dress on and putting on his shoes, Jaune looked at himself in the wardrobe mirror and smiled. 'Perfect.' He then opened the door, crossed the hallway and prepared himself for the laughs and jokes that were to come when the door opened in front of him. After a few moments of blocking away his pride, Jaune knocked on the door and waited. When it opened, Jaune's mind went blank and he stood in shock for several seconds.

For Yang stood in front of him, wearing a button up shirt and a vest, looking far more dapper than he thought she could and sporting the same shocked expression he was. After several more seconds of staring, the two burst out laughing and nearly fell to the floor. "I can't believe… we'd both… do something like this!" Yang screamed through gasps of air as she hugged her sides. "Neither… can I!' Jaune replied as he held the doorframe for support.

After thirty seconds of laughing at each other, the blonde duo finally regained control of their lungs as they looked at each other. As much as Jaune hated to admit it, Yang looked far better in a suit than he ever could. But after thinking about it for a moment, he realized she looked far better than him in anything, period. His smile soon turned into an understanding frown when he realized why she was wearing such an outfit. 'It certainly hides more skin than a dress ever could.'

He shook his head to rid himself of the sad thoughts as he resolved to make sure the girl enjoyed her night. "Shall we?" He asked as he extended his elbow in her direction. Yang smiled as she snaked her arm around his. "We shall." The young couple departed from the dorms to the main hall of Beacon academy for the dance. Jaune was sure he knew how everyone would react when they arrived, yet he was wrong when he got there.

It was better. The remaining members of team RWBY were shocked beyond belief when they got there. The girls knew Yang would be going in a suit, but the sight of Jaune in his dress caused all of them to fall over in laughter. JNPR, having known Jaune would wear a dress weren't all to surprised, but they still had a good laugh at the sight of Yang being the man. Anyone else who saw them also laughed in there general direction and the duo loved it.

Whenever somebody mocked them, Yang would join in and Jaune would smile, both at the thought of how ridiculous he looked and because Yang was enjoying herself. This, however, eventually managed to make Jaune question himself. 'Why am I trying so hard to make sure Yang has fun? She hates her appearance, sure, but that doesn't mean she can't live her life happily. So why am I working so hard here…?' Jaune decided not to let his mind wonder for too long, there were things that needed to be done.

As he stood next to his mingling date, Jaune eyed the room for the two helmeted DJ's playing the music. When his eyes locked onto the visor of one of the members of Dust Punk, he smiled. "Hey, Yang." He interrupted as Yang was about to tell a stupid pun to a random dance goer. "Yes?" She asked, rather annoyed that he would speak at such an inopportune time. "I'm going to go grab some punch, I'll be right back." Yang nodded and turned back to the girl she was talking to. Jaune was already across the dance floor.

Weaving between the crowds of people with practised ease, Jaune made his way to the stage where all of the sound equipment sat. After finding a pen and paper, Jaune wrote down some directions and pulled twenty Lien out of his wallet, he then folded the paper with the money inside. Smiling to himself, Jaune directed himself to the nearby DJ's and handed the paper to one of them. After subtly reading it, the man nodded to Jaune and continued as if the exchange never happened.

Jaune then ran to the punch bowl and poured two drinks. Before he could leave though, someone interrupted him. "Jaune." She said as Jaune turned around to find Ruby staring at him, her own cup of punch in her hand. Jaune tilted his head to the side in confusion as Ruby looked for the right words to say. After a moment of hesitation, Ruby looked up to Jaune with gratitude in her eyes. "Thank you." She said with her cup extended towards him. Jaune smiled and knocked his own cup against hers. "Anytime."

With their moment over, Jaune left Ruby to find Yang joking with more people than before, some of which Jaune had never even seen. The way her eyes dimmed when she laughed proved that she wasn't exactly enjoying herself though. 'Time to get this party started.' Jaune walked up to the girl and handed her one of the cups as he took a sip of his own. After a minute or two of banter between them, Jaune looked at the clock and smiled. "Wait here, I need to talk to someone." Yang nodded once more as her eyes dimmed again and she returned to her acquaintances.

Jaune scoured the dance floor and paled when he couldn't see his charge. 'I'm running out of time…!' After a few more moments of searching, Jaune saw a flash of pink and grinned. Sprinting towards the childhood friends, Jaune decided to make a show of things. "LIE REN!" He shouted with flair as he stood in front of his team mates. "Uhh… yes?" Ren replied as he stared at his Leader in confusion. No sooner had he spoken did the music suddenly stop. "I challenge you to a dance-off!" With the only sound in the room being the conversations of Hunters, everyone heard the blonde's proclamation.

Everybody in the room stared in shock at the two as Ren's eyes narrowed. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, Jaune… I've been told that I have the spirit of the great Monty Oum inside of me and all the dance skills that come with it." Jaune grinned as he clenched his fist in the air. "I care not for words! Prove to me that you have the skills you claim, fight me in man to man combat!" Ren's eyes closed as he lowered his head. "Jaune, I'm warning you…" Jaune knew this was his last chance to back down. He scanned over the room and noticed Yang failing to hold in her laughter. 'This is happening.'

"You dare back down from a challenge of the ancient art of dance?!" Jaune mocked as he glared at Ren. Ren's eyes opened to show a fury none had ever seen from him. "NEVER!" He shouted as all people backed away and gave the two some room. When the DJ read the note once more, he understood what the cross-dressing kid was doing. 'Shine – By Weiss Schnee. Five minutes.' He smiled as he set the tones for the song and started playing. Jaune gave a nod in the man's direction as he walked to the centre of the dance floor and the music started up.

Being the challenger, Jaune was given first move.

* * *

><p>Some say it was the greatest battle in recorded history, that it spanned days and nights, others, that it was two sweaty dudes jumping around to music. But most say that it was the funniest thing anyone had ever seen. With Jaune amazing everyone on his first turn with pops and locks, spins, thrusts and flips, the tone was set high and Ren knew that it wasn't going to be an easy win. After Jaune finished, Ren set to work with his own mastered moves, having the grace of like, two dozen swans. Jaune was relieved to find that his opponent was as good as he claimed.<p>

Ending one long spin with a flick of his arm in Jaune's direction, Ren flipped the boy off and moved back to give him some room. The circle of people laughed at the taunt. 'Oh, so that's how it's going to be…' Jaune's pupils dilated as he set to work with a good ol' fashioned break dance. Ending the barrage of spins with a one-handed hand stand, Jaune occupied his other hand with his own bird in Ren's face. He then forced himself upwards and flipped to his feet.

The crowd was loving it and a glance in Yang's direction proved that she was too. As the chorus started, Ren relieved his mind of all troubled thoughts and went Zen. He was glowing with the pink of his aura as he moved his body at an insane pace, as if playing two DDR machines at once. Everyone knew that Jaune would need to his best if he wanted to win this one and Jaune knew exactly what. Ren backed away and Jaune clapped for him. "Not bad, buddy. But you can't beat… the septuple-head-spin!"

Everyone gasped in shock as the music came to an abrupt halt. "Don't be crazy Jaune, not even Monty himself could do more than a quadruple!" Jaune grinned. "Oh yeah? DJ! Bring the music back!" The man shook his head slowly as he brought the song back to the chorus. Jaune smiled as he did a low hand stand and slowly brought his head to the ground. Once it was firmly in place, he spun. Everyone stared on in horror as they slowly counted. The numbers continued to rise as they began to cheer, he was past four by the time Ren's eyes opened wide.

As he reached the seventh rotation, Jaune flipped himself into the air and landed on his feet. "You were saying?" He asked as the crowd began chanting his name. The room was filled with booming cheering; Ren lowered his head with a smile and walked up to Jaune. "You won this round, but don't think it will be so easy next time." Jaune smiled back and the two shook hands. "Wouldn't dream of it." The cheers eventually died down and the music returned to its normal, upbeat atmosphere.

Yang ran up to Jaune and immediately punched him in the arm when she reached him. "Why didn't you say you could dance?!" She shouted with a smile as Jaune winced from the pain of the hit. "Duh, it'd ruin the surprise." Yang shook her head as she grabbed him by the shoulders. "You **will **teach me to move like that." Jaune laughed as he removed himself from the girl's strong grasp. "Sure thing, why not?" They continued to converse on Jaune's apparent skill, until the music slowed down. Knowing no better opportunity, Jaune held his hand out to Yang.

"May I have this dance?" He asked and Yang laughed while she put her hand in his. The two of them made their way to the dance floor once more and as they reached it, they wrapped their arms around each other. Yang put both her hand over his shoulder while Jaune put his on her waist. He made sure not to let them stray too far down. As the two of them enjoyed the ambience of each other's presence, Jaune overheard some guys speaking behind him. "Man this sucks, I was really hoping to see up her skirt, instead she wears some stupid suit?"

The other man groaned. "I know right? You'd think she'd wear something with a little more cleavage, but nope. None at all." Jaune's brows knotted together as he scowled, he could already feel the girl trembling in his arms. "Yang, I-" She cut him off as she backed away from him. "I-I'm sorry Jaune, I've got to go…" Jaune couldn't see her eyes under her bangs, but he knew they were on the verge of tears. Before he could say anything, however, yang ran out of the room. Turning back to the two fools who were speaking beforehand, Jaune gave them his deadliest scowl before chasing after her.

He didn't need to see them to know they were afraid. Jaune ignored the questioning calls of his friends as he exited the main hall in a chase after Yang. She was long gone by the time he was outside, so he left for the dorms, the only reasonable place she would go. A few minutes later, Jaune was standing out front of RWBY's dorm, knocking on the door and being completely ignored by Yang. His attempts became fruitful later as she eventually opened the door for him.

'Better play innocent.' "Yang, what was that all about?" Jaune asked as he entered the room. She couldn't look him in the eye. "It was nothing; I don't want to talk about it, shut up." Jaune sighed internally. 'Making this hard huh? Typical.' Jaune grabbed the girl by the shoulders and made her look him in the eye. "Yang, that wasn't nothing. Please, tell me what the problem is." Yang averted her eyes once more. "I-I can't, alright? Please, don't ask."

Jaune was getting closer. "Do you really not trust me?" He asked. 'That one always gets to them.' Yang almost glared at him. "Jaune, I trust you more than anything, but you have to understand that some things are better left unsaid." Jaune was so close, she was on the edge and all she needed was a small push. All that Jaune wanted to do was yell: 'OBJECTION!' in her face and show all the evidence he had that proved Yang was lying. But it wasn't enough, Jaune knew deep down that he'd only penalise himself in some way and end up feeling guilty.

With more self-control than Jaune knew he had, he pulled Yang in close and wrapped her into a hug. "I… understand. I won't ask any more questions for now, but I'm not just going to let this go." It took Yang all she had in her not to throw Jaune out the window, and now her patience was paying off. The girl wrapped her own arms around the questioning blonde and covered her face with his chest. She sighed when he began to stroke her hair and after a few minutes in this position, Yang got an idea only her tired mind could come up with.

"Jaune, would you like to stay with me tonight?" She asked innocently, causing Jaune to nearly have a heart-attack. "Uhh. Yes." He replied robotically as Yang left his embrace and climbed into her bed. She patted the spot next to her and Jaune hopped up to join the girl. The moment his head reached the pillow, Yang fell on top of him and he took her into his embrace once more. Yang was asleep within moments and Jaune subconsciously thread his fingers between her hair again. After a few moments of white-noise flooding through his head, Jaune remembered a previous thought.

'Why do I care about her so much…?' Jaune allowed himself the luxury of dissecting his own brain, now that the day was done. 'She's a friend of mine and she needs help. That's all there is to it, right?' He shook his head softly. 'No, I can't see myself showing this much concern to any of the others… maybe it's because it's so serious and it's affecting her so much?' Jaune remembered the way her eyes would dim in a conversation that she held no interest in, and when they'd fill with pain at the sight of herself.

'That seems more like it. But I can't shake the feeling that I'm wrong about that.' He thought harder on it, he thought of everything he knew about himself, all the things he'd learnt about her and how they coalesced. He'd remembered all the times they spent together recently and how much joy he felt when she'd smile, how devastated he was when she frowned and how butterflies erupted in his stomach when she laughed. 'Her personality is amazing, and she's definitely easy on the eyes. I guess I-'

Jaune paled. 'Strong feelings of empathy. Physical reactions to speech and movement. Sexual attraction and thoughts weighing on obsession. Obvious traits of…' Jaune's mind broke down when he realized why he cared so much, why he thought of her so often. 'Oh dear God.' He thought as he looked down at the sleeping girl in his arms. 'I'm in love with Yang…'


	4. Ignorance is Bliss

Ignorance is Bliss

Yang had avoided Jaune every day since that night and he was understandably upset by this. Both for his original purpose of helping the girl, and also because of his new-found affection for her. June yearned to be near Yang, he craved the feeling he got when he stroked her hair, he wanted nothing more than to hear her purr and melt into him. But he was incapable of doing any of these things if she wouldn't give him the time of day. Jaune knew from day one that this would happen, that the moment he got close to breaking her, she'd avoid him. It always happens.

He also suspected he might grow feelings for the girl, things like that happen when you focus all of your free time on a fun, outgoing, hot looking girl like Yang. Jaune also knew that he had nothing to bring to the table in that regard. Yang is the most sought after girl in Beacon, she has the pick of the litter. 'There's no way she'd go for a guy like me…' Jaune shook his head. 'No, don't think of such depressing things. Just focus on Yang's mental illness.' He stopped in his tracks. 'Well then… isn't my life just a bundle of joy nowadays…'

Jaune returned his focus to Yang once again as he looked at the girl from his seat in Port's Grimm Studies. She shot a glance his way before pretending to focus on the teacher. 'Damnit Yang! Just let me in…'

Yang stared at Port as he prattled on about the days of his youth. 'He didn't see you-he didn't see you-he didn't see you-' Yang shot another glance at Jaune and saw him staring right at her. 'Damnit, he saw you!' Yang continued to stare at Port. 'Please Jaune, just leave me alone. I can't tell you…'

All in all, it had been a rough week for the both of them.

As the period ended and lunch began, Jaune watched Yang quickly run out of the room. He sighed and got ready to follow, but before he could, a hand appeared in his vision and stopped him. "Jaune." Ruby greeted as Jaune stood from his seat and gave the girl a questioning look. "Yes?" He replied. Ruby looked more determined than he had ever seen before. "Come with me." She demanded before dragging him out of the classroom, across the hall and into another one, deserted this time.

She hastily threw the boy at one of the desks before putting her hands on her hips and glaring at him. "What happened with Yang?" Ruby asked. Despite the questioning tone, Jaune felt like he was being threatened. "What do you mean? Nothing's happened." Jaune immediately put his mind to work. 'Either she wants an update as to what I've learned. She wants to know how Yang's doing. She noticed Yang **was **doing better, but now is not. Or she somehow learned that I like her.'

As Jaune processed the possibilities of each of these concepts, Ruby replied to his question. "You know exactly what I mean. Yang was having a blast at the dance, and now she's avoiding everyone, more so than usual. What happened?" Jaune fought back a grin. 'I'm getting better…' He then coughed into his hand and looked Ruby in the eye. "Some jackasses at the dance were upset that they couldn't perv up Yang's non-existent dress, Yang got upset at this and ran. I questioned her about it, but she wouldn't tell me anything." Jaune gave a loud sigh.

"Now that she knows I know something's up, she's been avoiding me constantly." Jaune felt tears well up in his eyes. Sadly, Ruby seemed to notice them. "That's not all, is it?" She inquired with a soft voice. Jaune looked up at her in shock before looking away dejectedly. "Ruby, I need you to promise me you can keep a secret, I need one hundred per cent silence for what I'm about to tell you. It **cannot **leave this room. Understand?" Ruby kept her mouth shut as she slowly nodded. Jaune exhaled his breath in a long sigh as he thought of the correct words to say. 'It's a statement, not even a full sentence. Just a few words…'

Jaune looked Ruby in the eye with determination he held for no other craft. "Ruby, I have feelings for Yang." Jaune felt immense relief when Ruby turned back into the adorable teenager he could handle. "Oh my God, that is adorable! When did you realize it? Does she know? Does she like you back? Are you going out now? Have you ki-" "Ruby." Jaune interrupted before the girl could go full Nora. Her twitch was nothing compared to her uncontrollable excitement. "Remember, you can't tell this to anyone."

Ruby shook her head up and down at speeds that would snap a lesser man's head off. "So? When did you realize?" Jaune sighed as he looked to the floor for guidance. As expected, it gave him none. 'Stupid floor, never did anything for anybody. Do I tell her? I guess there's no harm, she did promise after all.' Jaune turned his gaze from the unfaithful floor to Ruby's trustworthy eyes. "A week ago. The night of the dance. I kept asking myself why I was working so hard to help her, then I just realized that it was because of feelings I never noticed were there. Didn't exactly help that she invited me to stay the night in her bed."

Ruby was more surprised to hear this than Jaune was expecting. "She did what-now?" Ruby asked with her eyebrows shot high into the air. "What?" Jaune replied with a confused look on his face. "You didn't notice me in Yang's bed when you got back from the dance?" Ruby shook her head quietly to signify she hadn't. "Huh, blanket must've been hiding us. It doesn't matter anyway; this is Yang we're talking about. There's no way she'd want to go out with me."

Ruby's look of surprise immediately turned into a glare. "What do you mean by that?" She demanded as Jaune froze in fear. 'She must mean that… uh… Damnit, I can think under stress…!' Jaune looked to the floor once more for the guidance he desperately needed. Oddly enough, he found it. "Because Yang deserves better than someone who's no better than dirt." Ruby slowly shook her head with a small smile on her face as she put a hand on his shoulder. "Jaune, you clearly don't realize how much you mean to her…"

Jaune tried his hardest to tackle that thought, yet even with suspension of disbelief he came up with nothing. "What do you mean? I'm just another one of Yang's friends, right?" Jaune couldn't think of anything by this point. The only thing on his mind was Ruby's response. "Jaune, throughout my entire life, I've never seen Yang happier than she has been these past few weeks. Not only are you the only guy that's ever gotten close to her, I'm pretty sure that you're the only person to get as close as you have."

Jaune's mind went over what she said a thousand times before she began the next sentence. "Yang doesn't hang out with anyone other than her team and you. Whenever she's being flirty with guys or friendly with girls, she's distant. She treats everyone like some black silhouette, except for you Jaune. With all of your amazing perception, I'm shocked that you can't see how much Yang cares about you. I wouldn't doubt for a second that she likes you back." Ruby finished her schooling with a firm pat on the back. "So, if I ever find out that you hurt her, you'll get well acquainted with Crescent Rose…"

And with that, she was gone. Jaune was now alone in a barren classroom with nothing to occupy him but his thoughts. Which currently, were raging. 'Alright, so I'm basically Yang's best friend. That's the most important thing we've learned today… That and the fact that Ruby's scythe needs to be blunted immediately.' Jaune stood from the desk he was leaning on and shook his head to clear his thoughts before he left the room as well. 'None of that matters at the moment though. Your feelings come second to Yang's mentality.'

Jaune walked through the large hallways that connected Beacon's classrooms until he was outside and looking down the path to the cafeteria. 'Alright, let's see how simple we can make this out to be…' Jaune took the first step down the long, cobblestone pathway as he pieced everything together in his mind. 'Priority number one: Get Yang comfortable enough that she'll talk to you again.' Jaune nodded his head as he continued down the path, feeling the blistering heat of the sun's rays as he loosened the tie around his neck.

'Priority number two: Get Yang to confess her problem and seek help.' Jaune nodded his head once more as the cafeteria grew larger and larger in front of him. 'Priority number three: Once Yang is getting better. Confess your feelings to her and immediately get rejected.' Jaune nodded his head for the final time as he opened the door to the loud building and scanned the room for a head of flaming blonde hair. 'She won't reciprocate your feelings, but she has a right to know they're there.'

Jaune continued to scan over the students for the girl he was so eager to find, when he suddenly caught site of a head of blonde. 'There she is… wait.' As students moved out of his line of site, Jaune found that the hair he was looking at was not a waterfall, but in fact a tight bun. 'Ugh, I don't need Goodwitch; I need to find… hold up a second. **Do **I need Goodwitch?' A brilliant thought struck Jaune as the teacher left the cafeteria, it was a thought that caused him to give chase.

The moment he made it across the large room and out the other exit, Jaune couldn't see the woman anywhere. Giving a quick look to his left yielded the sight of her turning the corner of a long hallway. Jaune ran after her once again. Without the obstruction of students and tables, Jaune caught up to her in no time. "Professor Goodwitch!" Jaune called out as he hunched over himself in the middle of the hall. "Yes?" She replied as she turned around, a confused look on her face. Jaune smiled up at the woman nervously. "I need your help with something."

* * *

><p>Yang was not happy. Nope, not at all. One could even dare say that she was <strong>un<strong>happy. Not only would Jaune not leave the problem alone, Ruby was now acting up too. Yang always found the girl looking at her with an unreadable expression on her face, as if her little sister was studying her like an animal. There was only one conclusion that Yang could reach from this. 'She knows…' Yang had no clue as to how her little sister could have figured out that she isn't one hundred percent normal; there was no way Jaune would have told her.

Yang trusts Jaune more than anyone, there's no way he'd have revealed last week's events. But for whatever reason, Ruby knew something was up, and she seemed adamant about finding out what it is without asking Yang. Not that she'd tell her anyway. Sadly, there was still that nagging at the back of her head. 'Jaune couldn't have told her, could he?' Yang tried her hardest to think of some way Ruby could have learnt of her problem, but even passive observation couldn't reveal such details. Yang knew there was only one way to find out if Jaune was truly trustworthy.

'Seems I'm going to have to talk to him after all. I just hope he doesn't get all interrogative like he has recently…' Yang thought back to the way he'd talk to her, as if he was goading her to tell him what's up. 'If I tell him how I really look, that'll be how he sees me from now on, I can't let that happen. I can't let him know how ugly I am.' Yang clenched her fist as she left the bedroom with a quick goodbye to Ruby and an even quicker walk across the hall.

Yang knocked on the door and patiently waited for a reply. She had to hold in her grin when Jaune opened it and looked at her with his classic confused face. "Yang? What are you doing here?" He asked as Yang put her hands behind her back. "I was thinking of going for a walk, would you like to join me?" Jaune's jaw nearly dropped. 'Priority number one: Complete!' Jaune coughed into his hand and smiled. "I'd love to." Jaune walked into the hallway and shut the door behind him. Before he knew it, he was outside with Yang as the sun set on the horizon.

"Jaune, can I ask you something?" Jaune looked to Yang with a slight sense of trepidation in his heart. 'There's no way she actually likes me, right?' Jaune nodded his head. "Of course." Yang decided there was only one way to ask him and that was directly. "Did you tell Ruby about what happened last week?" Jaune, despite all of his control over his emotions, couldn't stop his eyebrows from rising. He sighed in resignation. "Yes. I wanted to know if she knew why you'd run like that. You haven't exactly been talking to me lately."

Yang thought she'd have felt heartbroken to hear that, she thought she'd feel betrayed. But she was surprised to find herself smiling. Jaune was as well. "Jaune, I understand that you're worried about me. But I just can't tell you what the problem is, for **your **happiness, its better this way." Jaune clenched his fists, ready to tell her everything he knew. But everything stopped when he felt a hand on his cheek. "Please," Yang started as she leaned in close. "For me." Yang then gave Jaune a warm kiss on the cheek.

Jaune's heart stopped at the sensation. 'Stupid hormones!' Jaune stared at Yang with wide eyes before he gulped and composed himself. "Alright Yang, I promise you I won't ask about it anymore." Yang shook her head. "Your promises aren't exactly as solid as they used to be." Jaune only **just **managed not to roll his eyes. 'I'm not the only one.' Jaune looked at Yang with a small smile on his face. "What do you want then? A blood oath? A ritual of silence? Me to tear my own tongue out?" Yang laughed at his terrible sense of humour and shook her head once more.

"I want you to look me in the eye and promise me." Jaune's blood froze. 'I think I'd prefer the blood oath…' He looked at her in shock while she simply smiled at him. He calmed his nerves and walked closer to her. Jaune then placed his arms on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. 'They're so… purple!' Jaune was blushing furiously. 'Why does she have to be so beautiful? Why does she have to be so trusting?!' Jaune gulped and continued to stare, transfixed by her violet beauty. "Jaune?" She asked.

Now snapped from his daze, Jaune looked at her with more focus in his own eyes. "I lost you for a second there." Jaune laughed nervously and took in a deep breath. "Sorry, you're eyes are just so beautiful." Yang blushed a bright hue herself this time. Under normal circumstances, she'd brush any compliment off like its nothing, but having someone praise something that she actually takes pride in could cause some minor discolouration.

As he continued to stare into her eyes, Jaune took in another deep breath and began. "I, Jaune Arc, hereby promise not to inquire any further into Yang Xiao Long's personal business. Unless she states otherwise." Jaune held back his grin. 'I've got to give myself **some **wiggle room.' Yang smiled happily at her friend before she wrapped her arms around him and buried her head into his chest. "Thank you Jaune, for understanding." Jaune gave a guilty smile as he stroked his hand through her hair.

They both shuddered at the same time.

They eventually parted and returned to their rooms. Jaune waved one last goodbye as night fell upon Beacon and they both entered their respective dorms. Nora then fell upon Jaune. "Jaune and Yang sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G." "NORA!" Jaune shouted as he threw the girl off of him. She did an aerial flip in the air and landed with a flourish before laughing at Jaune's blushing face. "What are you even talking about?!" He yelled as he backed himself up to the door.

Pyrrha answered the question before Nora could corrupt the details. "We saw the two of you outside. I must say Jaune; I didn't know you had it in you." Jaune grumbled wordlessly as he flopped himself onto his bed. Nora continued to laugh and sing songs of Jaune and Yang initiating lewd acts together, but he managed to ignore her for the most part. 'I just hope Yang's having it easier than me right now. Aww who am I kidding? Her dorm is on the opposite side of the building, there's no way anyone could have seen us from there.'

Ruby was tired of waiting around to find out how she felt. The moment she walked through that door, she'd pounce. Luckily for her, Yang entered within the next three seconds. "YAAAAAANG!" Ruby called out as she jumped into her sisters awaiting arms. "Yes, Ruby?" Yang replied as she set the small girl down. "Do you have feelings for Jaune?" This caused a small flicker to go off in Yang's head. "Huh, I guess I've never really thought about it…" Yang's eyes widened. 'Wait, is **that **why she's been staring at me? Great, I was fretting over nothing.'

Ruby puffed out her cheeks. "Well think about it now! This is important." Yang raised an eyebrow at this display. "Why is it so important?" She asked, causing Ruby to widen her eyes in surprise. "I-I can't say, I promised I wouldn't tell." Yang was even more confused by this. "Jaune asked you to ask me if I have feelings for him?" 'That doesn't seem like something he'd do…' Ruby quickly shook her head. "No! That's not it at all. I can't say why, but I just need to know!"

Yang stopped to think as she lied down in her bed. '**Do **I have feelings for him?' Yang closed her eyes and remembered the way it felt whenever he touched her hair. 'Huh, maybe I do have the hots for Sherlock…' She looked over to her impatiently waiting sister and smiled with a sigh. "Yes Ruby, I like Jaune as more than a friend." 'Wow, sounds weird to say it out loud…' She would have continued her train of thought had Ruby decided then and there was the perfect time to squeal like a steam engine.

"Oh my God, that is so adorable!" Yang smiled in confusion. "It is?" Ruby nodded with a wistful sigh. "Of course it is. He likes you too after all." Yang nodded her head in understanding. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense…" Her eyes shot open faster than she thought was humanly possible. "He what-now?" Ruby paled in fear after realizing what she just said. "Oh, he uhh, likes you as more than a friend as well…?" Yang closed her eyes and sighed.

'Things just got a lot more difficult…'


	5. Understanding Madness

Understanding Madness

Jaune was feeling conflicted. He could take solace in the fact that he and Yang were hanging out more often, and that she was happier than ever. But without the ability to observe her, he'd gotten nowhere in his search to heal the girl. Yang may have been happier recently, but she was still very much depressed, and she could never look at her own reflection for more than a second. So Jaune was at a cross-road. He could give up on trying to help her, and continue with the way things are. Or he could break his promise, and attempt to prod her for the truth.

Both scenarios were not choices Jaune would like to make, but they were also both equally possible to choose from. As Jaune sat in the cafeteria, surrounded by his friends, he couldn't help the feeling of melancholy that washed over him. Pyrrha did her best to ignore it, only slightly shifting her eyes every now and then, while it seemed Yang either didn't want Jaune to know she knew he was upset, or she actually didn't know. In any case, Jaune was sure that the only thing that could possible get him out of his situation was a miracle. He could still remember the way Yang spoke to him since the day he promised not to do anything.

How she'd act less flirtatious, wear even **more **skin-covering clothes, and do her best not to make any physical contact whatsoever. No matter how hard he thought, Jaune couldn't find an answer as to why her personality changed so abruptly once again. 'I promised her so that she'd **stop **acting distant, what made her change her mind?' Feeling eyes on him, Jaune looked at Pyrrha to his left, finding her in a conversation with Ren. Confused, Jaune looked around the table and saw Ruby staring at him sadly. When she saw his eyes on her, she immediately looked away, scared.

'What's up with her?' The feeling didn't go away, so Jaune looked to the other members of team RWBY and saw Yang eyeing him nervously herself. 'What's up with everyone?! Why would Ruby be upset, and Yang be nervous at the same time? It's not like she knows I…' Jaune's eyes widened and he looked at Ruby once again; she was pretending not to notice him. 'Oh no…' He looked back at Yang and saw her staring at Ruby with a neutral frown on her face. 'Oh no.' He looked at Pyrrha and saw her give him a sad smile. 'No no no no no no no!'

Jaune held his head low in defeat. 'Yang knows I like her, Ruby must've told her at some point…' He pretended nothing was wrong as he began to play with his food, trying to think of ways to remedy the situation. Finding none, he sighed. 'I seriously need a miracle now more than ever… wait. Is that Cardin? What does he want now?' True to his thoughts, Cardin was walking towards the table, a sly grin on his face as he eyed Yang's back. 'What is he trying to… oh no. Cardin you colossal fool, don't even think about it!'

No one else had noticed the man as he continued to sneak up on Yang, Jaune was beginning to sweat. 'Do I call him out? I could, but…' Jaune saw Yang laughing happily as she teased Weiss. 'This might actually be the break I need. If he does what I think he's doing, Yang will flip out more than ever, she may even finally admit to her problem.' He felt his heart break as Yang grinned at Weiss' attempt to fight back. 'I just hope I don't freak out myself, I don't want to have to see her in pain, but it's for the best.' The hunter in training was but three feet away from Yang at this point. 'Looks like Cardin was the miracle I needed.'

*SLAP*

"What the hell do you think you're doing?! You pervert!" Cardin held his sore face, rubbing it softly after Yang's slap. He had decided to grope her ass; a choice he thought was hilarious at the time. However, Yang did not agree with him. "Just thought I'd get some o' dat ass. Besides, what do you care? You flirt with every guy here." Yang's eyes turned red instantly. "I don't flirt with anyone!" Cardin burst out laughing at her response. "Yeah right! The only reason anyone even talks to you is because you've got a nice rack!"

The cafeteria held its breath in stunned silence. Yang lowered her head as Jaune clenched his fist in rage. Before anyone knew it, Yang was out the door, tears pouring down her cheeks. No one was expecting that response, except for Jaune. He'd be by her side the second he could be, but something else required his immediate attention. He had a person to break. As Ruby stood up, reaching for Crescent Rose, Jaune was already standing in front of Cardin with an emotionless mask on his face. "Cardin, at what point in your life did you turn into such a deplorable person?"

Cardin gave Jaune a surprised, confused look as he looked down at the blonde. "What?" He asked, already annoyed by Jaune's presence. "Parents not love you enough? No, that couldn't be the case, could it? You were spoiled as a kid, that much is obvious. But why? Do you have any siblings?" 'Parents will show far more love to their child if a brother or sister died at some point.' Cardin blinked as he began to glare. "What the hell are you talking about?!" Jaune felt no emotion as he looked Cardin over. 'He took half a second longer to respond that time. Definitely had a sibling.'

"Was it a brother?" Nothing. "A sister then?" Cardin's glare deepened into a scowl. "Yeah, must've been a little sister. A toddler I imagine, she would've loved her big brother so much." Cardin finally threw the first punch, a sloppy one and easily avoidable. "Shut up!" Cardin yelled in an outrage, fury blinding his vision. "I wonder what she'd have thought of you now, throwing punches and harassing women. She'd feel so disappointed of what her brother became." Jaune ducked another punch as he gave a malicious grin. "If she was still alive that is."

Cardin began to cry as he threw a flurry of punches, none of which connected. "Look at you, nothing but a failing hunter with no friends and a dead sister. I bet she never even loved you in the first place." Cardin panted as memories of his sister were corrupted, showing her filled with hate and betrayal. "Look at you Cardin. Mister Big-Shot Hunter strutting around Beacon." Jaune began to circle Cardin as he knew the man would no longer fight back. "You think you're tough, that you're better than everyone. You don't need to improve; you're part of the illustrious Winchester lineage. Well guess what?"

Jaune stopped in front of Cardin as he slowly fell to his knees; he cupped the man's face in his hand and grinned wider. "You're nothing Cardin, absolutely nothing. You're a pathetic excuse for a hunter, and a deplorable excuse for a human being. You're team hates you, your parents hate you, the students and teachers hate you, and your sister hates you. I bet deep down, **you **even hate you." Jaune let go of Cardin's crying face as he dropped to his hands, trying his best not to think of what Jaune was saying. "Oh, and one more thing." Jaune stated as he grabbed a fistful of Cardin's hair and forced him to look Jaune in the eye.

"This is what happens when you mess with my friends…"

Jaune dropped the broken man and left him to his nightmares as he ran out of the cafeteria to find Yang. Everyone at his table was so shocked by his display that they had yet to chase after the poor girl. 'Cardin served his purpose, there's no chance Yang can keep this from me now. And even if she tries to, I can finally tell her that I know.' After a few minutes of running, Jaune was standing outside of RWBY's dorm, banging on the door and ordering Yang to open it. As expected, no reply came. "Yang, **please **open the door and let me in, you have to."

Sitting against the other side of the door was Yang, crying into her hands and doing her best to ignore her friend on the other side. "Yang, you told me once that you trust me more than anything. If that's true, you'll open this door for me." That cut deep for Yang, and she knew he was right. He only wanted to help, so there was clearly no point in keeping him locked out. Shakily making her way to her feet, Yang stood in front of the door, took a deep breath, and opened it to reveal Jaune standing alone in the hallway with a concerned frown on his face. 'God I hate that look.'

Before she could say anything, Jaune rushed into the room and gave her a crushing hug. "Yang, thank God. I was worried sick about you." Yang smiled sadly as she wrapped her arms around him as well and did her best to relax into him. "I know, I'm sorry for worrying you." After rocking back and forth for five minutes, and stopping all of Yang's tears, Jaune pulled back and looked into her eyes. 'I've got to see if she'll tell me first, or if I really do I have to let her know what I've learned.' "Yang, what was that back there? I thought you would've crushed his skull for what he did."

Yang shook her head and looked down, her arms still firmly wrapped around Jaune's neck. "It wasn't because of what he did…" Jaune was shocked that she told him even that much, but he needed to keep up the façade a little longer. "Then what? That stupid comment he made about your breasts?" Yang somehow managed to lower her head further as she closed her eyes in pain. She couldn't manage to find her voice, so the girl settled for nodding slowly. "Yang, that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. People like you because of your amazing personality, not because you've got some… mass on your… uh, aspects."

Yang began to shake violently as she clenched her fists. "But it's true! These are the only reason people like me, because they all know how ugly I am!" After a few seconds of breathing, Yang realized what she said and covered her mouth, while taking a step back in shock. "I mean… I…" Yang turned around abruptly. "Forget what I just said!" Jaune slowly took a step towards her and placed a hand on her shoulder. He felt more pain than he thought he would when she flinched. "Yang, you can't think like this…" The girl turned around and glared at Jaune with eyes of red fury.

"THINK?! Jaune, I **know **what I look like, and I'm hideous!" Jaune never felt more of an urge to slap some sense into a person in his entire life. "You only think that you're ugly Yang, but you aren't. You're the most beautiful person I know." Yang succumbed to the urge herself, and gave Jaune a strong backhand. "How dare you say that! You have no idea what I look like!" Jaune clenched his teeth as he flooded his aura into his burning cheek. Before he retaliated in the senseless argument, Jaune got an idea. He grabbed Yang's hand and dragged her into the bathroom, stood her in front of the mirror and kept himself behind her.

"Yang, I want you to tell me what you see." Yang looked in the mirror and stared at her confused, angry expression. "I see the reflection of someone who's going to punch you if you don't explain what you're doing." Jaune kept his fear in check and shook his head. "No, you see a window. What can you see through the window?" Yang continued to look at her reflection and sighed. "A confused looking girl?" Jaune smiled and nodded his head, keeping his hands on her shoulders and his face looking at her reflection too.

"Good, now I want you to tell me what she looks like." Yang felt repulsed as she eyed the girl's arms, her nose and her thighs. "She's disgusting, her nose is massive, her thighs are fat, she's littered with scars and her breasts are uneven." Jaune nearly cried when he heard how the girl thought of herself. 'There's no going back now.' "Would you like to know what **I **see, Yang?" Yang turned back to look at Jaune, but he grabbed her chin and made her look at the mirror.

"I see a girl that's been lying to herself her whole life, a girl that chose her sisters happiness over her own. I can see a girl that grew up in solitude when her mother left her all alone, and she never tried to make friends, lest they do the same." Yang's eyes widened in shock as Jaune recounted her childhood. "This girl loved her little sister more than anything, she didn't want her to live through the pain she did." Unease washed over Yang as she began to squirm, but Jaune held her in place by wrapping his arms around her waist.

"This girl grew up without any friends, for years she felt nothing but crushing loneliness, especially at school. Every day she would leave for school and spend hours on her own, afraid of even the slightest connection." Yang began to pry Jaune's arms from her waist, but the boy held on. "The only ray of sunshine in this girls life was her adorable little sister, the one thing she'd protect above all else. But then it hit her, one day her sister would join her in school, and she'd know just how she spent all her days."

Tears started to well up in Yang's eyes as she remembered the past events of her life, ones that she'd always wanted to forget. "She couldn't let her sister feel bad for her; she couldn't let her know just how sad her life was. So she began to observe. She watched all of the students with newfound interest, and learned all that she needed to do to make friends and keep enemies at bay. She put these skills to effect before her sister came to school, and eventually, everyone she knew was in the palm of her hand."

Yang remembered the smiling faces of all of the friends she managed to make in one week. "Ruby was happy to know you had so many friends, but this didn't last very long. Eventually, having gotten so popular, guys started to work up the nerve to ask you out. But with your fear of abandonment, and your need to take care of Ruby, a relationship was the last thing you needed. Sadly, after declining, guys got jealous. They were outraged, they felt betrayed! So they hailed you as some kind of liar and hated you." Yang clenched her fists as thoughts of all of the stupid kids that thought they were perfect screamed at her in rage.

"This, of course, caused you to take note of your appearance. You realized just how beautiful you are, and you hated it. Beauty is what caused them to want you in the first place, so you'd be better off without it. You started wearing less revealing clothes, stopped showering, stopped wearing makeup." He noticed that Yang had removed Ember Celica from her wrists, which were now barren, and brought them up for her to see in the mirror. "You started cutting yourself…" He said with shock in his voice. They both looked away for a moment.

"You wanted to be ugly, so you made yourself that way. Eventually, you lost the attention of the guys, but managed to stay popular with the girls, which was enough to keep Ruby fooled. You kept doing this for a long time." Jaune stared at her wrists, realizing just how many scars were there. "A **very **long time. Eventually, your mind started to believe it, it fooled itself into thinking you're ugly, and from that point onward you couldn't see yourself as anything but."

A discolouration was glaring Jaune in the eye, and he looked down at Yang's hair to see her roots were just the lightest shade of brown. This caused him to smile. "You missed the attention though; you liked having guys wrapped around your finger. So you did your best to make yourself beautiful, without changing too much. You started showering again, wore more makeup and even went so far as to dye your hair." 'A fact Ruby left out, so she **can** keep a secret…'

"You got the desired effect, people saw you as beautiful again, but no matter what, you couldn't." By this point, Yang was crying once again, sobbing uncontrollably in his arms. 'I'm sorry Yang, but we're not done yet.' With one hand, Jaune grabbed Yang's chin and had her look into the mirror, with the other, he took off her school blazer and started undoing the buttons of her blouse. "Appearance isn't everything, Yang."

Yang was now in nothing but her shoes, socks, skirt and underwear. Jaune tried his best not to look at her bra. "You have imperfections Yang, they're everywhere. I can see them all over you, from pimples on your chest, to stretch marks and all the scars littered in-between. You're not perfect Yang, no one is." She stared at her reflection in the mirror, how her scars ran across her skin, how her pimples glowed. She couldn't look away. "I see a girl that is covered in blemishes, scars and secrets. But I've never seen a more beautiful girl in all my life."

For one instance, for a mere few seconds, Yang saw what Jaune did. She could see the tiny pimples on her chest, but they were just that, tiny. Her scars had all but faded into her skin; her stretch marks were almost invisible. She could see her brunette hair billowing in the wind, and although her nose was all that she hated, she saw it merge with her face to make a young, beautiful girl standing there smiling.

But then it was gone, and all she could see were her horrible imperfections. The image of herself as beautiful would never leave her mind though; it stayed locked in tight and would not go. Yang turned around to give Jaune a bone crushing hug. "Jaune, what's wrong with me?" She asked as her voice cracked and tears flowed to the floor. Jaune wrapped his arms around her and buried his head in her hair. "You have Body Dysmorphia, Yang. And I'm going to be there every step of the way as we get rid of it."

They both held each other tighter. "As much as I wish one revelation like that was all it took, you've still got a long way to go before your mind's healed." Yang sobbed as she clutched Jaune's back. "I don't know what to do, Jaune." He smiled and began to stroke her hair, trying his hardest to calm her down. "I talked to Professor Goodwitch and had her schedule a psychiatrist. We'll go and talk to her whenever you're ready."

No more words were spoken as the two of them embraced the pain away.

* * *

><p>An hour later, they left the bathroom to find both of their teams waiting for them in RWBY's dorm. None of them spoke; they were all just waiting expectantly. Jaune got ready to speak, but Yang grabbed his hand and caught his attention. Looking back, he saw her shaking her head, before she walked in front of him and looked at all of their friends. "I… have a mental illness. I'll be seeing a psychiatrist to find a way to deal with it." Everyone gasped in shock, and they all looked at each other with different reactions.<p>

Jaune already knew how Ruby would react though. The girl jumped into Yang's arms with tears in her eyes, immensely happy that Yang would finally share what her problem was after all these years. Pyrrha looked at Jaune with pride, certain that he had helped Yang the same way he helped her before. "What mental illness do you have?" Blake asked, feeling very weird for having to ask that question. "It's called Body…" "Dysmorph-" "Dysmorphia!" Yang had interrupted Jaune when he attempted to correct her. "It's where you… think you're really ugly when you're not."

Everyone was shocked to hear this. "Yang, you think you're ugly?" Ruby asked, amazed that Yang would think **that **of all things. The girl simply nodded. "How? You're like, the prettiest girl I know." Nora stated, confused beyond belief. Yang knew that Jaune wouldn't be able to get Nora to lie for him, so she was now certain that she saw herself differently to everyone else. "I'm also curious to know what could've caused this…" Weiss added, unsure of how to speak to Yang in the current situation. "It was a long chain of things that added together that caused it, I won't go too into detail, but basically: Her mind won't let her see herself as beautiful."

Jaune walked up to Yang and gave Ruby a pat on the head. "It wasn't your fault Ruby, it could never have been." Noticing the tender moment, and feeling awkward for imposing at such an emotional time, team JNPR silently left the room with Blake and Weiss, leaving the sisters to talk it out. As they left, Pyrrha gave Jaune a pat on the shoulder and a knowing smile; he did his best to ignore it. Deciding it best to take their minds off things, Pyrrha, Ren and Nora invited Weiss and Blake to train with them, both of which agreed. Jaune said that he wasn't quite done and that he'd meet up with them later if he could.

He then waited in the hallway for half an hour before the door to RWBY's room finally opened and Ruby exited with Yang. The second she saw him, Ruby jumped into Jaune's arms. "Thank you so much Jaune, you're the best!" Jaune laughed as he hugged the girl and pat her on the back. "Just helping my friend." Ruby tightened her grip before she let go and ran off to catch up with everyone else, a massive smile on her face. "I'm guessing she told you everything, and vice versa." Yang nodded, before she held Jaune's hand in her own and snaked her fingers between his.

"She told me about how long you've been trying to help me." Jaune shook his head. "She's been trying for years though…" Yang laughed as she began to walk down the hall, towards the exit of the dorms. "She's my sister, that doesn't count. Besides, in the end, you're the one that got me to see the problem." Her words caused Jaune to smile softly as they exited the dorm rooms and began to walk towards Beacon's main tower. The two of them walked in amicable silence as they made their way to Goodwitch's office.

After a long elevator ride, they got off on the third highest floor, under Ozpin's office which sat at the top, the only higher floor being the roof. As they stood in the hallway leading to her room, Yang hesitated and stared at the door. "Jaune, before we go in there, there's something I have to ask you." He gave her a confused look, but smiled nonetheless. "What is it?" Yang tightened her gip on Jaune's hand. "Why have you tried so hard to help me, even after all the times I tried to make you stop?"

Jaune remembered the revelation he had as he held Yang in his arms that night. "A lot of reasons, but I guess the main one is because…" Jaune turned to find Yang already staring at him. He smiled and grabbed her other hand, lacing his fingers between that one as well and holding both between them. "I love you, Yang." He leaned in close and kissed Yang on the lips, after her initial shock wore off, she started kissing him back. It was both their first kiss, so it was very sloppy and quick, but they enjoyed it anyway. "I love you too, Jaune."

Both friends smiled at each other lovingly, before they opened the door to Goodwitch's office and began the first step in a long, arduous journey. One that they would finish together.


	6. Back in the Saddle

Back in the Saddle

Jaune sat in the cafeteria with a wide smile on his face. Three months had passed since Yang began going to Cognitive Behaviour Therapy with Professor Ozpin and it was doing wonders. Yang was smiling more often, **really **smiling that is, and she was all around much happier. She went back to her old wardrobe, stopped picking at her skin, stopped wearing so much makeup and even stopped all the flirting, with other guys that is, she still loved to tease Jaune whenever she got the chance. But the most noticeable change is possible Jaune's favourite.

She stopped dying her hair.

Yang now sat with light brown hair, bordering on the mahogany spectrum. Jaune thought she was far more beautiful like this than when she was as a blonde. Telling her that is probably the only reason she decided to stop dying it though, which, admittedly upset Jaune more than it would any other man in a relationship. He was happy that she was trying to be attractive for him, but the fact that she thought she needed to **try **is what upset Jaune. He'd always tell her that there was no need to try so hard, but she'd wave him off every time. It seemed that the therapy lessons weren't quite over yet.

Still, they were helping tremendously and Jaune thanked Ozpin at every chance he got. Not all people were happy though. Namely the other guys that idolized Yang. The thought of her both as a brunette and as a girlfriend to someone who isn't them caused them great dismay, but Yang quickly dealt with anyone who tried to voice their sorrow. She wouldn't let guys depress her like that anymore. All in all, things were looking up for the two of them, sadly however, there were always the small, minute problems here and there.

"So what's it feel like to take medication, Yang?" Nora asked in her pure innocence, nearly giving Jaune a heart attack based on the subject of the question. Yang and Jaune had had many skirmishes on the necessity of therapy and medication. Jaune always had to tell her that you aren't weak for going there, that everyone needs therapy and that it doesn't make you any less of a person to admit you need help. Yang always replied with a fist to the face, proving that her anger management isn't dealt with yet and also proving his point. They'd usually spend the next hour or so in each other's arms as she apologized over and over.

Yang laughed at the question as she gave Nora a confused look. "What do you mean?" She asked, before shifting her eyes to Jaune with a smile, already knowing that he'd be freaking out.

'Huh, I guess she's okay then…?'

Nora put a finger to her chin as she thought about the details she desired. "Well, I mean that the medication changes how you think, doesn't it?" Yang laughed harder as she quickly shook her head.

"No, it doesn't change how you think. It just… sharpens everything, I guess. It lets you focus easier and it doesn't let your mind wander off and have unnecessary thoughts." Yang thought for a moment and nodded, happy with her description. The way Nora simply nodded and quietly shrunk back into her seat was a bit worrisome for everyone, but Ren managed to ignore it, so it was obvious that there was no problem. Eventually, the bell rang and the next class began, a nice study with Dr Oobleck, he made sure that everyone refer to him as Dr, lest his fragile ego be shattered.

As everyone left for their respective classes, Yang gave a quick kiss to Jaune before heading off to her own. Jaune smiled softly as he headed to Oobleck's study, everyone groaned when he shot in and began the lesson, but Jaune was happy to play Spot the Oobleck with Pyrrha and Blake as the class droned on. Oddly enough, Cardin was missing from class once again. Jaune payed no mind to this as he continued to ignore his teacher and play games, a ritual he performs in most classes. After an indiscernible amount of time, the bell rang and everyone was relieved of their own personal hell.

* * *

><p>Yang sighed as she sat on Blake's bed and stared at her medication solemnly. "Jaune says I need this, Ozpin says I need this, even <strong>Ruby <strong>says I need it. But do I really have to take this stuff?" Yang asked as the pills rattled inside the small plastic bottle. "I feel fine, I shouldn't have to take these things, even if my mind wanders a bit, it's not like I'll start seeing myself as ugly again." A strand of hair fell in front of her face and Yang sighed. "I guess I could go without for a little while…"

The drug that wasn't Yang's main concern at the moment anyway. Jaune was. "He's always saying how beautiful I am, and how much better I look without the blonde hair and the makeup, but shouldn't he be a bit more handsey then?" She thought back to all the times the two of them would get intimate. Every time, Jaune's hands would stay at the small of her back or on her shoulders, her hair too of course. This annoyed Yang slightly. "Aren't guys meant to take the initiative? I get that he's a little meek, but shouldn't he want to go further? We've been going out for **months!**"

A thought suddenly struck Yang. 'What if he **doesn't **actually find me attractive?' Yang's mind suddenly started to rage. 'What if he was only saying all that stuff to be nice, and he really thinks that I'm hideous?!' Yang's hands started to shake as tears welled up in her eyes. 'He can say he loves me, but what does that matter if he doesn't find me attractive?' Yang brought her feet onto the bed as she curled into the foetal position, with her eyes firmly held shut by her knees. 'I can't believe it, he must be disgusted by me, he must be so ashamed…' Yang looked up to see the medication on the bedside table and she realized what was happening. With a quick leap, she reached for the bottle and downed a pill immediately.

It would take a moment for the drug to take effect, but Yang knew that she was only overthinking things. She knew that Jaune found her attractive and that her relationship was working fine, the only problem was that Jaune was being too frigid. "I should talk to him about that. Maybe if he sees things from my point of view, he'll grow a pair…" Yang nodded firmly with a smile, completely forgetting all of her previous thoughts. "Man, I can be overdramatic sometimes."

* * *

><p>Jaune sighed as he dragged his feet back to his room. Pyrrha decided that the team needed a little study session after school, and despite Jaune's protests, and even his orders as leader, he was still roped into doing it. The only thing Jaune wanted was to relax on his bed and go to sleep. Funny how things don't work out the way you want them to. Instead, the moment Jaune was in front of his door, the door to RWBY's dorm slammed open and Yang dragged him into the room. He was abruptly thrown onto Blake's bed and told to stay put as Yang locked the door.<p>

All in all, Jaune was thoroughly confused. "Uhh, Yang? What's all this about?" In reply, Yang walked over to him and sat on the bed next to the confused boy. Before he knew what was happening, his hand was on Yang's breast. Jaune quickly returned it to his lap with a massive blush on his face. "What are you doing?!" He screamed as he moved back from the girl. This caused Yang to frown and move closer.

"Jaune, do you find me attractive?" Jaune's blush didn't leave his face as he stared at the girl in shock.

"What?! Of course I do! You're the hottest girl I know!" Yang shook her head and her frown deepened.

"You say that, Jaune, but you've done nothing to prove it." Jaune continued to stare as he attempted to process what she was saying.

"What are you saying? How do I need to prove that I find you attractive?" He asked as Yang moved closer once again.

"You're smart Jaune; you can figure it out…" Jaune gulped nervously as he stared into Yang's violet eyes. He would always get lost in the things, but this time he needed to focus.

'She doesn't want me to do anything bad, right?' Jaune thought about what that would entail. 'Then again, maybe it **isn't **bad…' He decided to cut his losses and simply not think about it, just do whatever felt right. Jaune leaned in closer to Yang and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, making sure to grab some hair in the process, while his other went to the small of her back. The two shared a loving kiss with their embrace, and Yang could immediately tell something was different. This thought was proven correct when Jaune suddenly lowered his hand and grabbed her ass cheek.

"Jaune!" She gasped out in pleasure as she looked at the boy in front of her. Jaune gave no reply as he carefully lifted the girl off of the mattress and into his lap.

"Do you feel that, Yang?" Confusion ebbed into Yang's flushing face as she tried to think of what he meant. She then noticed the sudden pressure against her thigh, right where Jaune's lap was.

"Jaune, you have a-!"

"That's right, Yang. Because I find you attractive, what else would I have?" Jaune proved his point with another kiss; he made sure to lick her lips before they parted. Yang suddenly took Jaune by surprise by pushing him down and straddling his chest.

"Well then, I guess I should do something to thank you…" Jaune couldn't stop the smile that formed on his face.

'I am **so **glad she knows how to exploit her beauty like this…'

* * *

><p>'He's doing it again…' She thought as she watched him enter the bathroom. 'This is the third time this <strong>week, <strong>why can't he just admit that he has a problem?' She couldn't stop the frown that adorned her face, her demeanour was much less cheerful than usual, and she was afraid people were starting to notice. 'Oh sure, they can notice **me, **but they can't notice the fact that he's been shifting so much?!' She sighed as she heard the toilet flush and he left the bathroom. 'Maybe it's only because we've known each other for so long, maybe I'm the only one who can notice…'

He gave a curt hello before he lied down on his bed and pulled the covers up. 'There's no way. Jaune's pretty smart, I'm sure he's noticed by now, but he's just too busy with Yang to do anything. I wouldn't want to burden him with another problem so soon.' She managed to hold in the groan of annoyance as she pulled her own covers over her. 'This is tearing him apart, why won't he just let me help him? Why won't he just let me in…?' She couldn't stop the tear that rolled down her cheek.

"Goodnight, Nora." She heard as she sighed into her pillow.

"Goodnight, Ren." Nora solemnly replied as she attempted to go to sleep. Her dreams would most likely be restless, but there was no avoiding it. All she could hope for is that she'd be able to escape from reality for at least a moment.

At least in her dreams, she and Ren could be happy.

* * *

><p><strong>Ugh, this was a mess to work out. It didn't even come out the way I wanted either. In any case, it's here and I hope you enjoyed it, because the story is far from over. Although I'm going to start focusing on one story at a time from now on, that story being Bonds that Bind us Together, it's the shortest after all. I'll be back to work on this the moment it's over, I promise.<strong>


	7. Definition of Insanity

Definition of Insanity

**Hoo boy this ones been a long time coming. Hopefully the wait was worth it, I actually got some help this time. A friend of mine named Pozsich, the Editor Ace Extraordinaire, or more commonly referred to as Pozsich, Extremely Acerbic Executioner. So PEAE. A good quote to sum him up would be: "It's odd really. All you're doing is giving analytical reviews of work, but for some reason, despite the fact you're perfectly fine while doing it, and even throw a joke or two in there, it just feels like you're trying to destroy my dreams." In any case, enough about him, time to get on with the story...**

* * *

><p>Nora awoke the next morning on a clear Saturday. The sun was shining in the blue sky and shed light across the land. Incidentally, Nora had an idea to help Ren. She may not be able to get Jaune to solve the problem for her, but he may be able to help her figure it out at least. She looked around the room and saw that his bed was empty; indicating that he was probably across the hall in Yang's bed. After quickly getting dressed, Nora opened the door to the hallway and looked back to give Ren a longing glance as he peacefully slept, unaware of her musings.<p>

She closed the door behind her and walked three steps to reach the one standing across from her. Three sharp knocks and Weiss opened the door with a scowl. "What?" She had never been a morning person…

"Is Jaune in there? I need to talk to him." Weiss' glare lessened when she realized she was not required to do anything and that the blonde fool was going to finally leave.

"Hold on." Weiss closed the door and Nora could hear angry shouting from within the room accompanied by a loud 'thunk' sounding from within. After a few seconds of silence Jaune opened the door and left the room, rubbing his arm.

"Something you needed?" He asked with a sheepish grin as he stood in the hallway in nothing but his onesie. He yawned and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he waited for Nora to speak.

"I need your help…" She started slowly, unsure of how to ask for such a favour.

"With Ren, yeah? I've noticed his bipolar tendencies, and it's obvious you have too. Need some help fixing him?" Nora almost laughed at how nonchalant he was about suggesting he'd solve all of her problems, and she wasn't too surprised that he already knew about it. So she tried her best to play it off with him.

"Do you know what can do it? I'll do anything if it means he can be happy again!" Jaune, now fully awake, stared back down at Nora and sighed.

"I wish I could do it all for you, but I'm afraid this is something you'll have to do. You're really the only one he talks to, and Ren trusts you the most. Me asking him stuff and trying to get closer to him would just be off putting for the poor guy…"

Nora was growing impatient. "I get that! What do I need to do?"

.

Jaune sighed once again as he eyed their dorm warily. "It's kind of simple really. Just think back to when everything changed for him and see if you can't notice anything specific with how he acts, like what his trigger words and actions are."

Nora nodded slowly as she took in the information."So just focus on what makes him tick… and remember our past together?"

Jaune nodded with a smile. "Yep! Once you've figured out what caused it, confront him and get him to see a therapist, or… If you're lucky, you may be able to handle everything just between the two of you, no therapy required."

Nora smiled at the thought and gave Jaune a bear hug. "Thank you so much Jauney! I'll make sure everything's okay, now, you go back to Yang, alright? Tell her I said hi!" Nora ran back into their room and slammed the door shut. Jaune gave a contented sigh as he turned around and turned the door knob.

"It's locked…" Jaune knocked on the door, but received no reply. "Weiss? You still up? I think you accidentally locked me out." Silence. "W…Weiss?"

Nora's smile faded instantly as she shut the door on her leader, and she looked at the mound of blankets next to her bed. Ren seemed to have woken up, and as she looked at him her heart fell. "Ren…?" She asked, watching concerned as he sat still, clenching his eyes.. "Ren, are you okay…?" Pyrrha had left before her, probably to train, so it was just the two of them in the dorm. Ren's breathing was picking up in speed. "Ren, come on, talk to me." He was literally seething as she stood next to his bed, and when Nora reached her hand out to touch his shoulder, Ren's arm flung out and pushed it aside while his other raised, its hand in a fist. He was glaring daggers at the girl, and despite the fact that he was obviously holding himself back, Nora began to tear up. Ren blinked and gaped at the sight as he realized what he had done.

"N-Nora… Oh my gods I'm so sorry, I-" He couldn't finish his sentence before Nora ran from the room, slamming the door behind her. He could hear her sob before she left, and Ren cursed under his breath as he followed after the girl.

Nora cried as she ran. She didn't know where she was going, but that didn't matter to her. All that mattered was being away from him. When Ren got that way there was no controlling him, and no telling what he might do. He may have stopped himself that time, but he'd been unable to in the past. Nora pushed open a random door and ran into what appeared to be an empty classroom. She ran to the opposite end of the room and hid under the teacher's desk. She held herself in the foetal position as she gasped for air and tried to calm her nerves.

Nora closed her eyes and tried her best to remember the good old days. But even remembering as far back as when she was eight, she could recall Ren acting the way he does. So she thought further, back to the first **month **she had met him. He had been so happy and carefree back then, within such a short period of knowing her. He was always quiet, but back then, he was always happy too.

They met when they were both five years old, during school. The regular 'boy gets bullied, girl gets rid of bullies' story, and they were the best of buds ever since. She could clearly recall the moment when it all changed. It was exactly a month after they had met. She had finally grown to trust him more than any of her other 'friends,' and she felt he was her best friend. But, at this same time, his demeanour changed drastically. He talked far less often, and he seemed sadder than before. Almost as much as when he was being bullied. He'd lash out at those times as well, and things had never really changed since then. 'I wonder what could've caused that…' Nora wondered as she continued to sit under the desk.

"Nora?!" She heard someone call out as the door opened. She sighed as she recognised the voice and felt relieved to know he had calmed down.

"I'm over here, Ren," she replied. She heard footsteps rushing towards her at a blinding speed. She stepped out from under the table and was immediately brought into a hug by Ren.

"Nora, I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me. Please, you know I'd never hurt you." She could tell he had been crying, and she cracked a small smile as she hugged him back.

"It's alright, Ren. I know you wouldn't." Ren continued to shake as she held him close to her, just like she would every time this happened.

(Paragraph Break)

The next morning everyone sat at breakfast as usual. Well, except for Nora, whose usual banter was much quieter than the norm. Everyone chose to ignore this, though, and continue with their own conversations. This was especially true for Jaune and Yang, who both seemed to be enraptured with each other. Well, Jaune was at least. Yang seemed to be trying to ignore him, and Nora was perplexed by their actions as she watched them. Jaune was grinning while he sat unusually close to the girl, and Yang was blushing as she tried to ignore him. Apparently him talking wasn't helping either.

After a few more moments of watching the girl squirm, Nora shrugged her shoulders and turned back to Ren. She could see the events of yesterday were still on his mind. The poor guy looked more depressed than ever and, as usual, no one noticed. She tried to think back to their childhood once again, but was cut off when Ren spoke up.

"Hey, Nora?" He asked as he turned to face her, ignoring his food on the table. She could tell right from the start that he had something on his mind.

"Yes, Ren?" She replied as he looked down, conflicted.

"What did you dream about last night?" Nora's eyes brightened considerably, and she instantly ran off on a spiel about the many adventures the two of them had in her dream. It was faint, but she could easily see the small smile that adorned his face as she told him her tales.

(Paragraph Break)

Blake stayed silent as she sat on her bunk, alone in the dorm room. Everyone else had run off to train, but she decided to stay behind and see how far she could get in her new book. That is, until a piece of cloth caught her attention. Looking up, Blake saw something dangling from Yang's bunk. Whatever it was, it was purple and rather thin. Upon closer inspection, Blake could notice a distinct smell coming from it. An eyebrow raised in confusion.

"Is that… a G-string?"

(Paragraph Break)

Despite how well Ren had acted last week, Nora knew that it was not going to last. She had to distance herself from the boy and try to see if she could gain anything from him by watching from afar. Which was the exact reason as to why she was sitting on the opposite side of the lunch table instead of next to him. This caused a rather large disturbance amongst her friends, as she had never sat away from Ren before. Ren seemed unchanged by it though, acting as silently as he usually would, only talking when spoken to.

Nora could tell that she wasn't getting anything by simply watching him, she needed interaction as well, but their conversations had become strained at best. She would always talk his ear off, as per usual, but he never corrected her when she made a mistake, and he never talked back. Most of the time it seemed as if he wasn't even listening.

Without the ability to speak to him, and with her eyes giving her nothing useful, she thought back to when he changed his personality, around the same time she felt closest to him. As she tried to think, though, the bell for the next period rang, and everyone continued their conversations on foot. Ren and Nora both stayed silent as they left for class, and any time they made eye contact there was never the same spark of happiness she always saw in his eye before.

'He just seems dead…' Ren left for his own class while Nora headed into history. Now that she was away from him she could finally focus, but, even with the added benefit of solitude, she still couldn't think of any reason as to why Ren would get depressed when he became her best friend. But an answer slowly dawned on her and she realized that there was only one possible solution.

'Am I the problem…?' Nora couldn't possibly believe that thought, there was simply no way. 'No, no that's ridiculous…' She thought of how his smile would fade whenever she went into a tirade. 'It's impossible…' She remembered how he'd stay silent while she spoke, and only got interrupted whenever he tried to speak, making him even sadder. 'It… it can't be…' Nora had figured it out.

'Ren's depressed because of me.'

(Paragraph Break)

Ren hugged his pillow as he cried. He knew that he was supposed to be in Grimm Studies right now, but he couldn't focus on school while his problems with Nora plagued his mind. 'I've finally done it, haven't I? I've driven Nora away from me because of… because of whatever the hell is wrong with me!' Ren silently sobbed as he clutched the pillow tighter.

'I have to make it up to her; I need to do something to fix this. But what? I can't just get her a gift, that would never work, not for a problem like this, the problem is with me. Nora wants me to be better, so the only way I can really make anything up to her is if I fix whatever it is that's wrong with me…' Ren nodded to himself as he sat up on his bed, discarding the pillow. He sighed as he looked down at his hands. 'I just need to figure out what that is…' The bell rang no sooner than he thought that and he prepared himself for what was going to happen when Nora walked through that door.

The girl eventually did and she was surprised when she was immediately enveloped in a hug. "Ren…?" She asked as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Nora, I'm so sorry for how I've been treating you. I know you've noticed that I'm not right in the head. I'm scared Nora, I'm scared of hurting you… I have a problem and I don't know what it is…" Nora perked up at this and tightened her grip on him.

"It's okay Ren, we'll figure it out." She was understandably scared of the thought that they'd be going up against an enemy they don't know how to deal with, but Nora could find solace in the fact that they'd at least be taking care of it together.

(Paragraph Break)

Ruby sighed as she hopped off her bed, homework in hand. Everyone else was asleep, and she had only just now finished her work a few hours before it was due to be handed in. She opened the drawer to their joint table in the middle of the room and placed the papers inside. When they didn't quite fit right, she lifted them up and checked underneath. A reflective glint caught her eye, and Ruby reached in to pick the item up. She didn't recognise who they belonged to, but Ruby could tell they were glasses. She decided to put them on her face, but as she looked through the glass windows her vision remained the same.

"They aren't prescription?"

* * *

><p><strong>They'll be longer in the future, don't worry.<strong>


End file.
